Bonds of the Heart
by Jayfish
Summary: Aelia Alwyn comes to Central determined to escape from her sisters, the Alwyn murderesses.  Once there, she finds herself tangled in a game she never wanted to be a part of, and in love with someone she never could have imagined... EnvyxOC.  R&R please!
1. Arrests, Meetings, and Deals, Oh My!

**Heyy! This is the Jayfish here, and this is my newest FMA story! It's EnvyxOC, but there are gonna be a lot of other romances in here; namely EdWin, Royai, ScarxOC and AlxOC. If you review, I know you'll want me to continue, so please review! I know it's a long first chapter, see if you can get through it... Okay, bye for now, and please please please review! I just love reviews! They're like food for me!**

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><p>Aelia Alwyn cocked her head and looked at the pure white of Central Headquarters.<p>

To be frank, it was a lot smaller than she'd expected. And she'd expected worse on the whole way here. It had taken practically every ounce of willpower she'd had in her to board the train that brought her from the outskirts of Amestris to its very center. Even now she was nervous, although she'd been brought up not to show her fear, ever. _Fear is only a mindset; _she reminded herself, her eldest sister's harsh words echoing in her ears. _You have to get over it, or you'll get killed. And I don't mean by your enemies; I'll do it myself if you don't shape up and get a spine._

She figured it would be pretty obvious why she'd left her family.

She clenched her fists hard and took a step forward. She was going to speak to the President if she had to kill everyone in her way to get to him. Of course, this was a strictly diplomatic mission, and killing everyone would kind of convince the President that she was still evil. _Not evil, exactly, _she thought, thinking of her sisters. _Harsh, and deadly, but not exactly evil. I think._

She began walking towards the huge doors, concentrating everything in her to keep her from bolting in the opposite direction. It was very possible that once she entered that building she'd never come out. It was no place of refuge for one of the Alwyn sisters.

The sound of loud, arguing voices alerted her to the fact that she wasn't the only one walking towards Central Command. She turned her head to see a short-looking blonde and a giant man in armor talking animatedly and gesturing. She wasn't really interested, but it was possible that the blonde or the man could help her get deeper into Central Command, from where she could make her own way to the President.

She slowed down to a practical crawl and waited as the duo walked past her, still talking. She sped up then, walking about a half pace behind them. _Hopefully people will think I'm with them, _she thought. _If I get stopped before I even make it in this will all be for nothing._

Aelia blinked as she realized that the voice emanating from the man's helmet was high and clear; probably the voice of a child. _That's odd. Wonder why a little kid like that's wearing a suit of armor. _She flushed guiltily. _For all I know, he could have read a headline like, "THE ALWYN SISTERS STRIKE AGAIN!" and got scared enough to start wearing armor. I sure hope it's not my fault…_

The blonde, the boy and Aelia walked up the steps, and Aeila hung her head, counting on her thick brown hair to hide her. It was an unremarkable color; in fact nothing about Aelia really stood out. She'd even ditched her traditional Alwyn sister jumpsuit at the train station in favor of a simple green shirt and long pants. It was a pretty normal outfit, although now that she thought about it, maybe normal was abnormal in the military.

Her heart rate quickened as she realized that she was walking through the doors and into Central Command itself. Nobody questioned her; nobody stopped her. _I made it! Thanks, blonde pipsqueak and friend!_

She moved to walk around them, and her eyes widened as the blonde boy shot her an annoyed stare. "Where do you think you're going?" He asked. She swallowed, and narrowed her eyes slightly at him.

"I have… business here," she said, looking at him coolly. "Is that a problem?"

The boy rolled his eyes. "Yeah, if you're not a member of the military. What are you doing?"

She frowned. "Don't tell me; _you're _part of the military?" The boy smirked and nodded.

"You're looking at the Fullmetal Alchemist here," he said. She pursed her lips.

"The Fullmetal Alchemist? The youngest State Alchemist ever?" She sighed, disappointed. "I didn't think you'd be so short…"

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING SO SHORT THAT HE'S A DISAPPOINTMENT TO EVERYONE WHO EVER BELIEVED IN HIM!" The boy raged, waving his fists and jumping up and down. The boy in the armor grabbed him by the back of the cape, preventing him from lunging at Aelia. She stepped back a few paces, startled.

"I didn't think you'd be so weird, either," she commented, which set off another round of jumping up and down. The armor boy looked at Aelia apologetically.

"Sorry," he said. "Ed hates it when you call him short… I'm Al, by the way."

"Aelia," Aelia said, deliberately avoiding saying her last name out loud. She looked around herself at the white marble of Central Command and turned away from the boys. "Well, it's been nice chatting with you but I really have to go…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Ed said, darting in front of her. "You still haven't told us what you're doing here!" Aelia moaned and hung her head.

"Can I please just go?" she complained. Ed shook his head, smirking. _Curse that little pipsqueak. _"Alright," she said, grinding her teeth. "I'm here to see the President."

Ed took one look at her face and burst out laughing. Al sighed and shook his head, speaking over Ed's mirth. "That's pretty much impossible, Miss Aelia. The President will only see people with scheduled appointments, and usually those people are diplomats. Unless you're a diplomat, he's not going to see you… Maybe there's someone else you could try?"

She massaged her temples. "Shut up, Ed," she snapped, and to her surprise he actually did. "What are you in the military? A lieutenant?"

"A major," Ed said, looking at her suspiciously. "Why?"

She breathed in deeply. _Good enough. A major can probably arrest someone and listen to their case._ "Because," she said, "I'm Aelia Alwyn, and I'm here to give myself up."

Her big reveal was not as big as she had anticipated. Ed gave her a blank stare. "What do you mean?" He asked. "Give yourself up?" She huffed, exasperated, and looked at Al. To her surprise and almost relief, he was backing away from her slowly, as if she were a time bomb just seconds away from exploding.

"A-A- Alwyn?" He stammered, and Ed turned to him.

"Yeah, that's what he said. Why?"

Al gave him a look. "_Alwyn_," he stressed. Ed shrugged.

"A family of female murderesses," Aelia commented. Another shrug.

"The ones that have been causing so much trouble on the borders of Aerugo!" Al's last comment seemed to spark something in Ed's brain, and his golden eyes widened.

"_You're _an Alwyn? Seriously? And you're giving yourself up to me?"

Aelia sucked air in noisily through her teeth. "That's pretty much what I just said," she grumbled. "There's no need to be making things harder for me by repeating it, is there?"

Instead of responding, Ed moved closer to her and clapped his hands. She looked down at her feet and sighed, as Ed had encased them in marble. "Seriously? What did that accomplish?"

"Not much," Ed said, "Except for a distraction." She blinked as she felt Al roughly pulling her hands behind her back. She heard a clap, and something metallic clicked around her wrists, at the same time the marble receded. Ed grinned. "Nice work, Al; using part of your armor to make handcuffs."

"I was going to come quietly," she commented, but they ignored her.

"What are we going to do now, Ed?" Al asked him tremulously. The boy sighed.

"If we take her to Colonel Bastard, he'll get all the credit. But there's not much else we can do, so… Why are you looking at me like that, _Alwyn_?"

"First of all, my name's Aelia," she said, annoyed. "Second of all, don't talk about me like I'm not there. It's rude and I don't like it." The corners of her mouth twitched, the boys didn't seem to be so bad. She was almost glad they'd been the ones who had ended up arresting her as opposed to a bunch of large scary men with guns. "I want you to take me to the Colonel." _He probably has more power than Ed._

"You're in no position to be making demands," Ed said. She smirked.

"You forget," she said calmly. "I'm an Alwyn. We're not very nice when we don't get what we want." Her dark blue, almost violet eyes sparked dangerously.

Ed gave an annoyed sigh. "Alright," he growled, snatching her forearm and walking. "I'll take you to see Colonel Bastard. I don't know what you want with him, but it better be good."

Aelia smiled. "Trust me," she said. "It's really good."

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><p>The Fullmetal Alchemist opened the door to what Aelia assumed was the Colonel's office with an annoyed grunt. Aelia was mildly amused; Ed was funny when he was upset. Al followed behind them, looking guilty about the whole proceedings.<p>

The expressions on the faces of the occupants of the office would have been comical if the situation hadn't been so serious. There was a raven-haired man behind a desk who was probably the Colonel frowning at them, and a blonde woman holding a stack of papers and giving them a dark stare. There was a blonde man and a somewhat chubby guy staring at them with their jaws hanging open, joined by a grey-haired dude and a small guy with jet black hair. None of them seemed particularly imposing but the woman and the Colonel, and even they seemed like they could be friendly if they wanted to be.

The Colonel cleared his throat. "Well, this is new, even for you, Fullmetal," he said dryly. "Do you have an explanation, or are you just going to stand in the doorway like an awkward shrimp?"

"I AM NOT A SHRIMP!" Ed shrieked, tugging on his blonde antenna. "DAMN IT, COLONEL BASTARD!"

The Colonel cocked his head. "Colonel Bastard?" He asked. "I think I'm going to report you for that." Ed gritted his teeth.

"Colonel," the blonde woman snapped. "Now is not the time." She turned her gaze towards Ed, Aelia and Al, and Aelia felt herself shrinking under the woman's stare. "I think we'd all like an explanation, Edward," she said tightly.

"This," Ed said, pushing Aelia in front of him, "is Aelia. Aelia _Alwyn_."

The reaction was pretty much exactly what Aelia had expected it would be. Pretty much everyone in the room flinched away from her before peering at her curiously. "Aelia Alwyn," the grey-haired man said. "One of the four Alwyn sisters. Sixteen years old, and the second oldest of the group. Is a master of the division of alchemy known as Wave Alchemy."

"Thank you, Fallman," the woman said, not taking her eyes away from Aelia. She took a step forehead, and Aelia blanched as she removed a gun from its holster and aimed it at Aelia's head. "Answer me truthfully. Are you really Aelia Alwyn?"

"Yes, I'm really Aelia Alwyn," Aelia said, exasperated. "Why would I be an imposter? I mean, no one would pretend to be one of the Alwyn sisters."

"What do you want?" The Colonel asked lazily, not even bothering to get up from behind his desk. "You must want something, because there's no way an Alwyn sister would let herself get captured by Fullmetal."

"Hey!"

Aelia looked at him seriously. "I have to talk to the President," she said. "I have to tell him something." The Colonel shook his head and rose to his feet.

"No," he said, crossing around the desk and standing in front of her. "You'll have to talk to me, instead. There's no way we're allowing you to see the President."

Aelia bit her lip, avoiding the man's onyx eyes. "You're only a Colonel, right?" She asked.

He nodded. "I'm the Flame Alchemist, Colonel Roy Mustang," he said importantly. She shrugged.

"I suppose you'll do," she said. "But I want to see the President, and sooner or later I'm going to get what I want."

"We'll see about that," Mustang said quietly. "I'll be taking Aelia to one of the interrogation rooms, Fullmetal. I'm going to have a little chat with her and Hughes."

"Hughes?" Aelia asked, suspicious.

"He's been following your case for a while," Mustang replied. He narrowed his eyes at her. "Your record is despicable, by the way. What's so bad about military agents that you have to slaughter any of them that cross your path?"

She swallowed. "That's what I'm here to correct," she said, avoiding the question completely. "And I'm not giving away anything else."

"Then follow me," Mustang said, sweeping out of the room before glancing back at Ed. "I'm still going to expect your report about Lior when I get back, Fullmetal," he said, and left the room with a still-cuffed Aelia hurrying after him.

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><p>"So you came here to tell us something?" Hughes asked, slamming down a manila folder probably filled with tons of incriminating evidence between himself and Aelia.<p>

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "The bare bulb hanging from a string is just crude," she said. "And the steel walls add a whole element of _wow we are trying way too hard."_

Hughes pressed his lips together, but Aelia could see Mustang smirking on the other side of the desk. "Answer the question," Hughes said, and Aelia sighed.

"Yeah, I came to tell you guys something," she said. "A lot of things, actually." She took a breath and closed her eyes, picturing the dust of the border of Aerugo for a moment, and the faces of her three sisters. Each one held the same look of firm disapproval. She bit her lip. "I came to tell you… I'm going to sell them out. My sisters, I mean."

Hughes' face was the picture of shock. "Seriously? You are? Why?"

"Why do you think?" She asked, leaning back in the hard wooden chair and wincing as her cuffed arms pressed against the backing. "I think that what they're doing is wrong, and I'm going to correct it."

Hughes whistled appreciatively and leaned back as well. "Well, that's something," he said. "I never thought the Alwyn sisters would ever go away. You know how hard the military's been working to capture you?"

"Yeah," Aelia said. "Sometimes we even let your agents get within a couple of miles of us, just to keep things interesting."

Hughes whistled again. "We never had a chance of getting any of you, did we?" He asked. "But now… What kind of information are we talking about, exactly?"

"Hideouts, the type of alchemy we use and how it works, and other tidbits of information the military might find useful," Aelia said calmly. "But I'm going to want some things in return."

"Of course you do," Hughes sighed. "And you think this room is stereotypical; this whole interrogation is going exactly like it does in books." He chuckled.

"Just get on with it," Mustang complained. "What _are _your prices?" He asked, giving Aelia a harsh stare. "And we're not promising anything."

"I want complete amnesty for all past crimes," Aelia said. "And I want the lives of my sisters. Imprison them if you have to, but don't kill them. Please."

"Those aren't bad prices, actually," Hughes said, sounding surprised. "I figured you'd want as much money as you could extort out of us."

Aelia snorted. "Not interested," she said. "I just want my freedom. That's really not a lot to ask."

Mustang laced his fingers together and leaned forward in his chair, a classic thinking pose. "The thing is, the only person who'd be authorized to make this kind of deal is… the President."

Aelia rolled her eyes. "Then let me see him, for the love of God! I can't even do anything to him; my hands are cuffed!" She jangled the metal for emphasis.

Hughes turned to Mustang. "You know, she's right, Roy," he exclaimed. "Besides, our President's just as skilled as her when it comes to sword fighting. I doubt her alchemy could hold him for long."

"Fine," Mustang snapped, getting to his feet. "I'll go make the phone call."

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><p>Pride could not be having a worse day.<p>

Envy, the little worm, had been in his office _all day_, playing with his papers and throwing things. He'd given the green-haired homunculus a lecture on respecting other people's property, but all Envy had done after that was sit on the edge of Pride's desk and whine about how boring his life was.

_Why on Earth did Dante think I would be a good babysitter for this idiot? _Pride complained mentally. _I never thought I'd ever admit this, but I actually wish I wasn't a homunculus right now, if that would get Envy out of my hair._

He looked up at the knock on his door and waved a hand at Envy. The homunculus immediately shrank down and looked as though he'd vanished, although Pride assumed he'd transformed into a fly or something. The Ultimate Eye cleared his throat. "Yes?" He called, and the door opened to reveal one of his personal aides.

"Sir!" The aide said, snapping to attention. "Colonel Mustang is on Line One, sir!" Pride nodded, interested despite himself.

"Thank you," he said, and the aide closed the door. The homunculus reached out and took the phone just before a transformed Envy grabbed it. Giving his sibling an annoyed glare, Pride focused his attention on the telephone pressed against his ear.

"Fuhrer Bradley, sir," Mustang's voice crackled over the speaker.

"Roy Mustang," Pride replied. "And to what do I owe the honor of this phone call?" He laughed heartily; it was so easy to fool humans into believing that he was a human who enjoyed a good joke now and then.

Mustang laughed too, but it was clear that his heart just wasn't in it. "We have a situation, sir," he said immediately. "One of the Alwyn sisters came to Central Command today. She wants to talk to you; she says she'll give you information about her sisters and how to capture them, but she wants immunity for past crimes, and she doesn't want her sisters dead."

Pride felt a spark of interest welling up inside him. _One of the Alwyn sisters, huh? We've been considering the four of them for quite some time. This situation could work to our advantage._

"Alright," he said calmly. "Send her in."

"Right away, sir," Mustang said, and the line went dead.

Pride replaced the phone in its cradle, a satisfied smile gracing his lips. _Perhaps today won't be so bad after all. _

"What was that about?" Envy asked curiously, sitting cross-legged on the desk and idly playing with the phone. Pride snatched it and put it back in the receiver, glaring at Envy.

"One of the Alwyn sisters came to Central today, looking for a deal," he said. Envy cocked his head.

"One of the Alwyn sisters?" He asked, rubbing his green hair. "Well, that's interesting, I suppose." He frowned. "Is this going to screw up the plan?" He asked.

Pride shook his head calmly. "Quite the contrary, actually," he said. "Do you know anything about the Alwyn sister, Envy?"

The homunculus shrugged. "I know Dante wants them," he said. "I don't know why, though."

"Let me give you a brief history," Pride replied, fixing Envy with a serious, presidential stare. "The Alwyn sisters are pretty much legendary in both Amestris and Aerugo, as they are situated on the border between our two countries. They attack and steal from anyone who tries to get past the border, and they kill any Amestrian military personnel they can get their hands on. I don't know what they have against the military; I believe something happened to the oldest sister, Rhea, which turned her against the military forever, and now she lives only to kill every last soldier in our armies." He sighed. "The Alwyn sisters are all from the same parents, who are periodically forced to copulate whenever a new sister is needed by Rhea."

Envy blinked, a grin creeping up his face. "Wait- you mean she forces her own parents to fuck each other?" He burst out laughing. "That's hysterical!"

"Shut up, Envy," Pride said warningly, and the Sin shut his mouth, glaring at his brother. "Anyway," Pride continued, "Rhea is a force to be reckoned with, as is the rest of her family. Mustang didn't mention which sister this is, but I doubt its Rhea. She would never betray her family like that."

"So, what does any of this have to do with Dante?" Envy asked.

"The Alwyn sisters are each special in their own way. Dante wants the second youngest, Eris Alwyn, to create the Philosopher's Stone; she's the only sister who doesn't have a specific brand of alchemy, and because of this Dante feels she'd be the best at making the Stone. The youngest should probably be saved to be Dante's new body in a couple of years, and I'm sure we'll find uses for the older two eventually. And now that we have this one, this betrayer… It's fairly obvious what has to be done here."

"What?"

"Simple, Envy," Pride said. "Dante's wanted the Alwyn sisters for years, but it's fairly impossible to get them when they're all together. But now, they've split, and we can use that to our advantage," Pride said. "I want you to follow her."

"What?"

"You heard me," Pride said. "She'll tell us where her sisters are, and after that, who knows? There are a lot we don't know about the Alwyn sisters. If you follow this girl around, you might learn something that could be useful to Dante in the future. And you're not the only one; I'm assigning Lust, Gluttony and Sloth to mark the other three sisters."

"Who died and made you leader?" Envy hissed. "I'm not following some stupid human brat! I have better things to do!"

"Like what?" Pride asked. "Sit on my desk and play with important military documents?"

Envy glowered at his brother and growled under his breath, turning away. "Fine," he snapped. "I'll do your little chore. But I'm not following her forever; I have a life too."

"Of course, Envy," Pride said delicately. "Dante or I will give you a sign when it's time to come back. Something that even you couldn't misinterpret."

Envy ignored his brother, tracing the Ouroboros on his leg. _Fine, _Pride thought. _I don't care if he sulks; it's not going to change anything._

He looked up at the knock on the door. "Come in," he called, and Envy shrank into a fly again, glaring at Pride the whole time. _What a baby. _The door swung open to reveal Colonel Mustang and a tall girl with dark brown hair and the strange violet eyes that Pride knew was one of the trademark features of the Alwyn sisters.

"You are dismissed, Colonel Mustang," he said, and the man nodded before turning and striding away, leaving the girl alone in the doorway.

Pride did not rise. "Come in," he said. "And shut the door behind you, please."

The girl did as he told her, shutting the door with her foot. Pride realized with mild amusement that her hands had been cuffed behind her back. _As if she could ever even hope to defeat me. _

"Fuhrer President King Bradley," the girl said. "I'm glad to finally meet you."

"As am I, Miss…?"

"Aelia," the girl said. "Aelia Alwyn, although I'm sure someone told you my identity already."

"Ah, but formalities are everything, Aelia," Pride said smoothly, rising and crossing around his desk. "I would shake your hand, but it appears as though you are unable to do that at the moment."

"It's unfortunate," Aelia said, giving him a half smirk. "It would have been nice to tell everyone that I shook the President's hand."

"It is unfortunate," Pride agreed, "as I would have liked to tell everyone that I had shaken the hand of one of the infamous Alwyn sisters." She snorted, and he gave her a dark half-smile. "You want something, am I correct?"

"Yes," she said. "Amnesty for my past crimes, and the lives of my sisters," she said. "That's all. I'll give you information in exchange."

"Done," Pride said immediately. "Have a seat." He indicated the chair in front of his desk, and she took it gingerly, leaning forward to avoid crushing her hands. Pride laced his fingers and looked her in the eye. "Tell me," he said. "Tell me everything."

It turned out that Aelia had quite a lot to tell him. She named every one of the hideouts the sisters used, and explained each of their specific styles of alchemy. Her own was really fascinating to Pride; she called it Wave Alchemy, and apparently it was a technique in which she controlled the very atoms inside water to move it as she willed. She didn't even need a body of water to use it, although controlling large quantities of water were best. However, Aelia had a small flask of water with her at all times, and she could increase its quantities by freezing it over, as water expands when frozen. The ice could be shaped into anything Aelia wanted. It was a very interesting alchemy, and reminded Pride of Sloth.

It took them nearly two hours to get finished, and by then it was clear that Aelia was exhausted. Pride looked at her with interest; she was the second Alwyn sister; in truth he'd expected the third or fourth to be the betrayer, not her. Apparently she had a heart, which was strange, as she'd probably grown up without one. _Humans, _Pride thought. _They're so pathetic._

"So," Pride said. "I'm willing to give you exactly what you asked for, Aelia, but you have to understand that most citizens of Amestris aren't going to be comfortable with an Alwyn sister running around, free as a bird," he said. "So, as the Fuhrer President, I have an order to give you."

She scowled at him. "Don't tell me you're going back on our deal," she whispered darkly.

"Oh no," Pride said immediately. "But how do I know you've even given me the right information? No, I need you to stay with someone trustworthy while we process your information. It shouldn't be for too long; perhaps a little more than a month. And then you can go on your way and forget you ever knew him."

"Him?" She asked. "Who?"

"The Fullmetal Alchemist, of course," Pride said. _This is perfect; he's the other alchemist we were considering. Now Envy can tail both of them with little effort. _"I'll be telling him all about the arrangements," Pride assured the human girl. "You just go back to Mustang's office; I'll call before you get there and let them know."

"Thank you, Fuhrer Bradley," the girl said, rising to her feet and bowing her head. "Thank you so much."

Pride just smiled, and the girl hurried out of the room.

Envy had transformed back before the door closed behind him. "_No!"_ He shouted, slamming his fist on the table. "There's no way in hell I'm traveling with the Fullmetal pipsqueak! No way, Pride! Find somebody else to do your dirty work!"

Pride pulled out a sword and stabbed it through Envy's chest before the homunculus had even finished ranting. Envy stared at the sword impaling him for a moment before pulling away and snarling at Pride, already beginning to transform. "Save it, Envy," Pride ordered. "She's getting away."

Envy stared at him for a moment, violet eyes quite similar to Aelia's bright with fury. "Fuck you, Pride," he whispered, and leapt from the desk, transforming as he did into a hawk. He shot out the crack in between the doors and was gone.

Pride smiled and relaxed, leaning back in his chair. His day had gone from bad to good in a few short hours. He closed his eyes and his moustache quivered, and one of the most dangerous homunculi in existence began daydreaming about a nice hot cup of tea.


	2. Edward Elric: the Angry Little Pipsqueak

**Hey guys!**

**First of all, I wanted to say a big thank-you to everyone who reviewed. To Cursed Bunny, KarumaMustangElric, AmiiStarr, Haru Eclipse, and angel experiment 18, thanks so much for reviewing the first chapter! It really means a lot to me.**

**Also, just to let you guys know, this story is going to be somewhere in between the actual storyline and my own invention. A lot of things are going to be the same, but a lot of stuff is going to be different too. Things might happen at different times than they did in the storyline, or not at all, etc. This is a fanfiction, after all!**

**Okay, enough of me. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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><p>The Fullmetal Alchemist did not seem excited about the new travel arrangements at all.<p>

When Colonel Mustang had broken the news to everyone, Ed stormed out of the office and slammed the door behind him, leaving Al behind to finally release Aelia from the maddening handcuffs. The atmosphere in the office was pretty awkward after that; no one really knew how to strike up a conversation with a teenage murderess, and Aelia was pretty sure everyone was wishing that she wasn't there at all.

After a few tense minutes of sitting in a chair in the middle of the room and being scrutinized by everyone, Aelia was completely sick of the military. "That's it," she announced, getting to her feet and noting with dry amusement how everyone jumped slightly. "I'm going out for a walk."

"No," Mustang said. "You're supposed to stay with Ed and Al."

"Well, as you can clearly see, Ed is off somewhere probably beating something up, and Al is too afraid to talk to me," Aelia snapped. "I don't think that this situation is going to work out." No one said anything, but she could see the woman she now knew as Riza Hawkeye casually reaching towards her gun, and the Flame Alchemist's fingers were suspiciously close to snapping.

"I'll go with her," Al said, interrupting the tense silence. Aelia had to admit; she was surprised that he had been so bold. It was refreshing actually; she'd never met anyone who'd go on a simple walk with her before. _Everyone's afraid of me. That's one of the reasons I had to get away from them. I can't do it anymore; all those deaths are starting to catch up with me…_

"Alright," she said, trying to maintain a semblance of peace. She went to the door, feeling everyone's eyes fixed on her back, and opened it, heading into the hallway. She could hear Al clanking after her, and swallowed hard as the door shut.

Neither of them said anything, although Al did speed up until he was walking next to her instead of behind her. She looked at the ground, not really wanting to look into Al's eyes. Even being around him made her feel guilty, although he hadn't remonstrated her at all yet.

"So…" Al said, sounding nervous. "Erm… Do- do you like it…? You know- h-here in Central?"

Aelia turned to him and shrugged, stopping in the middle of the hall. "It's alright," she said seriously. "Better than I expected, actually."

"What did you expect?" Al asked, curiosity getting the better of his fear, evidently.

"Well, I honestly didn't expect to make it out of here alive," Aelia answered truthfully, resuming her walk. Al hurried after her.

"Really? But why? I mean, that's not how we do things in Central at all!"

Aelia laughed mirthlessly. "You have the death sentence, right?" She asked. He nodded, and she shrugged. "Well, that's what I expected was waiting for me when I followed you and Ed into Central Command."

"But you're only- how old are you, anyway?"

"Sixteen."

"But you're only sixteen!" Al protested, sounding horrified. "The President would never execute somebody so young!"

Her face turned hard. "I think he'd make an exception for someone like me," she said darkly, speeding up.

"Are you sure?" Al said stubbornly. "I mean, you haven't done anything _too _bad, right?"

Aelia stopped in the middle of the hall again and groaned in frustration. "Of _course _I've done bad things, Al!" She exclaimed. "I've done _horrible _things! Someone like me doesn't even deserve to be alive!"

Al looked at her. "You should never say something like that," he said in a low voice. "You should be thankful that you're still alive; there are a lot of people that aren't."

Aelia blinked. "And a lot of those people are dead because of me," was all Aelia said, turning away. "Come on; I want to get out of this dumb building. I need some fresh air."

Typically, as soon as Aelia and Al stepped out of Central Command it began to rain.

Aelia shrugged and headed through the mist; the rain didn't bother her unduly. She'd even been learning how to control multiple raindrops at once before she'd left her sisters, but she hadn't mastered the technique and didn't feel like trying it.

She didn't know where she was going, although she did know that Al was behind her and would follow her wherever she chose to be. She just knew that, for the time being, she was sick of people. This happened to Aelia sometimes, especially after a killing spree. Of course, her sisters hated it, Rhea especially- she'd thought that it made Aelia look weak.

_I suppose it is kind of pathetic, _Aelia thought, leaning against a streetlight. She'd managed to wander her way onto a busy thoroughfare, and she watched the people go by absentmindedly. A lot of them were shrieking about the rain. Aelia's dark brown hair was plastered to her back by now, and she couldn't help it: she was in a bad mood. Somehow, when making the decision to leave the Alwyn sisters behind forever, she hadn't imagined that it would suck this much.

She heard the soft ping of rain against Al's armor and turned to look behind her. When he saw her staring back at him he moved away, as though afraid he'd offended her. She sighed. "You're not getting wet, are you?" She asked. He looked surprised, and then hastily shook his head.

"No- no, I'm fine."

"Good," she responded, resuming her brisk pace. She tossed her thick wet hair like a dog and felt momentarily uncomfortable. _Heh. I've been out here for five minutes and now I'd rather be inside. Aren't I the strange type? _

She walked to the nearest store and opened the door, listening to the pretty chime of a bell that announced her visit. She cocked her head, realizing that she'd just stepped into an automail shop. It was filled with metal odds and ends, and at the counter, back away from Aelia, was a short boy with a golden braid who looked an awful lot like he was haggling with the clerk. _A short boy with- oh, it's Ed. _

"Big brother!" Al exclaimed, squeezing past Aelia to snatch Ed and ferry him towards her. The boy was holding a bag filled to the brim with strange metal pieces, and he did not look at all happy to see her.

"You," he said, giving her an angry glare with his intense golden eyes. "When Mustang said you were going to be our companion, he didn't mean you had to follow me everywhere."

"I wasn't following you," Aelia said coolly, but Ed just rolled his eyes.

"Shut up," he said coldly. "Just don't talk to me." He shoved past her and exited the shop, slamming the door behind him.

Al sighed. "He doesn't like you because of what you used to be," he said, in response to Aelia's unspoken question. "Ed may be a State Alchemist, but he tries really hard to never hurt anybody. And you… Well, you know. Ed doesn't want to get mixed up in all that."

Aelia looked out the window at the boy. Although he could've left, he was still waiting for them, although he was tapping his foot. "Ed's a really good person," Al said. "Give him some time; he'll warm up to you."

She sighed. "Alright." They exited the shop together, and she steeled herself and stood next to her traveling companion for the next month or so.

Ed didn't say anything to her, which was an improvement from before. For a while they just stood there, in the rain, getting wet. Finally, Ed spoke up.

"We should go to the library, Al," he said, completely ignoring Aelia. _Oh, you're gonna ignore me, huh? That's nice._

"What? Why?" Al asked.

"You know," Ed said. "What we went to Reole for."

"Is this some kind of secret?" Aelia broke in. Ed glared at her, and she shrugged. "I was just asking."

"Yeah," he said shortly, turning away from her. "So you can just sit and read books about your infamy or whatever. I've heard that murderers are pretty vain." Aelia's eyes sparked with anger, but she held her tongue. Al was giving her frantic hand gestures that she took to mean, 'don't say anything or he'll get worse,' and for now she'd listen to him.

They trudged through the rain despondently, nobody saying anything to lighten the mood. Aelia was now soaked to the skin, and although she loved water (what kind of Wave Alchemist would she be if she didn't?) she wasn't looking forward to entering the probably cool library like this.

Ed turned and trudged up the stairs to a large building that Aelia had a feeling was the library. Al followed him, and Aelia followed Al. Wet or no, she was not going to sit outside and wait for them to come out.

As soon as she stepped into the library, she realized that she'd been right: it was damn cold in here. She gritted her teeth and wrapped her arms around her shoulders, sighing as her fingers brushed against the very bottom of her left shoulder and grazed what she fondly referred to her as her 'Freaky Puffy Caterpillar Scar.' It looked remarkably like a fat caterpillar crawling slowly up the whole left side of her torso, and to make matters worse the skin that had grown there since the accident was shiny and _puffy_, and she looked pretty crazy when she was naked. Not that Aelia had much of a problem with that. She had a feeling that most people would look away from her once they spotted her scar, so it was a pretty safe bet for her to be naked and not feel too many repercussions.

She realized that Ed and Al had dispersed; Ed to a row of books that she had a feeling had something to do with alchemy, and Al to a table that looked as though it were their usual spot. Even now, he was engrossed in a tome with a red cover that looked very technical to Aelia. Ed plucked up a few books and crossed to where Al was sitting, shooting her a look as he sat as though he were just daring her to come over and try to listen to their secrets.

Aelia blinked at the strange feeling that overtook her. It was only there for a moment, but watching the Elric brothers together, having secrets that didn't involve her… "Envy?" She said aloud, and to her surprise a boy who had just strolled into the library gave a strangled exclamation and stared at her like she had just attacked him.

She cocked an eyebrow at him, and he scowled; crossing over to her. "What did you just say?" He asked, grabbing her wrist. She gave him a look of utter derision and snapped her arm to the side, breaking his grip.

"I said 'envy,'" she snapped. "Is there something wrong with that?"

The boy glared at her. He had dark black hair and eyes that looked as though they had the same coloring as her own. _That's weird; I thought only the Alwyn sisters had violet eyes… _"Why?" He snapped suddenly.

"Why? I don't know, I was thinking out loud."

"About what?"

She smiled at him sarcastically. "About how jealous I was that I wasn't invited to the little club over there," she said, jamming her thumb in the direction Ed and Al were. The boy glanced at them for a second, and his eyes flashed with emotion. Then he shrugged.

"Okay," he said, moving away. Aelia stared after him, shocked, and grabbed his shoulder, turning him around.

"What do you mean, _okay_?" She asked. "What the hell was that all about?" The boy looked at her with a neutral expression on his face, and suddenly he'd jammed his fist into her solar plexus, hard.

"Do yourself a favor, okay? Don't talk to me," he said, hurrying away through the rows of books. Aelia did her best to gasp in pain discreetly; a lot of people were glancing her way with faces of disapproval; apparently they hadn't seen that boy attacking her.

She scowled and crossed her arms over her chest. He'd vanished, and she didn't feel like chasing him over the whole library. _He's probably just some crazy guy who… Damn, I can't even come up with a good explanation for that. I must be losing my touch._

She jumped as she felt a hand on her shoulder and whipped around to see a young woman with huge glasses and mousy brown hair smiling at her. "Do you need help?" The woman asked. "You've been standing here for a while so I thought you might need some assistance…" The woman trailed off, looking at Aelia's face suspiciously. The woman's green eyes widened, and she backed away. "You're Aelia Alwyn!" She gasped, sounding horrified.

Aelia sighed. "Yeah," she said. The woman's eyes filled with tears.

"P-p-p-please don't kill me!" She sobbed, covering her eyes with her hands and sniffling. "I can't leave now; there are so many more books to read!" Aelia grimaced, and put a hand on the woman's shoulder.

"I'm not going to kill you," she said impatiently. "I've been reformed; I left the Alwyn sisters. I'm just a normal citizen of Amestris now." The woman stopped crying and looked up at her, blinking away tears.

"Really?" She asked. "But why would you do that? I mean, it said in the news that the Alwyn sisters were a really tight-knit group."

There was a hitch in Aelia's throat. _A blade, a spear, and transmutation circle lay in front of her. "Choose," the woman said, and she went for the circle, pressing her palms against it. The crying was getting louder, but she turned with a maniac light in her eyes. This was it; the final test. All she had to do was pass, and her sister would never question her again. It was shrieking now and she felt a wave of revulsion before clapping her hands together and listening to the gurgled cries fading away into blessed silence…_

"Miss Aelia? Miss Alwyn?"

"Huh? Oh, it's you," Aelia realized. "Why'd I leave the Alwyn sisters?" The images from before were in her head, clamoring for attention, but she pushed them away. "A lot of reasons," she said simply.

"Oh…" The woman said. "Well… You know, if you need anything… I'm Sheska, by the way."

"Nice to meet you," Aelia said, but Sheska was already backing away towards her desk. When she was halfway there she broke into an awkward little run and threw herself behind the desk like it was a shield. Aelia sighed and walked over to a shelf, snatching up a random book. Better to immerse herself in something other than reality.

She flipped through the pages idly; not really reading, just soaking in the words. She kept out half an eye for the weird boy from earlier, but he never showed. Ed and Al took their sweet time too. It was closing time before they even left, and Ed walked out of the library without even bothering to come tell her it was time to go. Al had to do it, and then they had to hurry after the angry little pipsqueak.

"Still raining," Aelia commented, and Al nodded his assent. It was indeed still raining, and Aelia was soaked anew in a few minutes. Ed was storming ahead of them, not turning around to see whether or not they were following him. "Is he always like this?" She asked Al, and he hesitated before nodding.

"When he's angry," the boy said, "he'll act like this for days. Sometimes weeks." Aelia groaned; this was just what she needed. To make matters worse, she was tired, and Ed was hurrying along like a maniac. "Hey Ed!" She called. He didn't respond. She frowned. "ED!" Still nothing. Aelia growled under her breath, and then, at that exact moment, she was nudged in the wrong direction by a slight nudge from a guy trying to get past her and Al. His yellow jacket-clad shoulder brushed hers. Right on the Freaky Puffy Caterpillar Scar. And Aelia hated it when people touched her scar.

"EDWARD ELRIC!" She screamed, and he went rigid. "WILL YOU PLEASE WAIT UP?"

He turned around, golden eyes sparking. "Aelia," he began, but she wasn't finished.

"I don't know who you think you are," she snarled, stepping closer to him and actually having the audacity to grab his collar, "but just because you're a big bad State Alchemist doesn't mean you can treat the rest of us like dirt. Now stop ignoring me, or I swear to God, I will _fucking kill you._"

"Get the hell off me!" Ed snapped, shoving Aelia hard. She growled at him and stumbled back a few paces, clenching her fists.

"State Alchemist?" Ed and Aelia turned in unison, fight momentarily forgotten. Standing behind Al was a man, the man who had brushed against Aelia's scar, incidentally. Now that she could see him better, she realized that he had a strange x-shaped scar over his face, and tanned skin. To her surprise, Ed seemed as though he knew him.

"Hey- you're that guy I met a few years ago!" He said. "What do you want?"

Aelia frowned as the man began to crack his knuckles. "Those who stray from the path of God," he intoned, taking off his dark glasses to reveal blood-red eyes, "must be punished."

Aelia stared. "Oh, you can't be serious!" She said. The man had a scowl on his face, and it darkened. Aelia narrowed her eyes at the man. "If you don't mind, I'd like to finish my fight with the Fullmetal Alchemist. Wait your turn."

Al was backing away from the man, and now he made it to Aelia and Ed. "What do you want?" He asked, repeating Ed's question.

The man's palm twitched and red alchemic energy swirled around his arm. "I have to kill the Fullmetal Alchemist," he growled, directing his words at Aelia and Al. "Stand aside."

"No," she said calmly. "I have a fight to finish too. I asked you to wait your turn, and that's what you're going to do." She opened her palms, baring the tattoos inscribed on them. "Good luck against me, scarred man," she said, smirking at him. "I hope you know what you're up against!" She tossed back her head and laughed; she couldn't help it, the melodramatic murderess in her was taking its toll. "You're no match for me, the great Aelia Alwyn- hey, wait a second!" Before she'd even finished speaking, the scarred man had lunged forward and his right hand pressed against her stomach. She grimaced, and there was a flash of red alchemical energy. The flesh on her stomach surged back, bloody and mutilated. The attack had probably been designed to be local to her stomach, but a tendril of red energy snaked around her scar and suddenly the whole things popped open like a balloon. Aelia could only stare at her suddenly bloody torso before hitting the ground. _And I didn't even get to use my alchemy, _she thought unhappily. _Typical, really. This is what I get for being overconfident, I suppose._

She blinked, in a daze of pain. _Well, I'm not going to be any use in this fight. Might as well get myself out of the way. _The pain should have been unbearable, but she was an Alwyn; used to such things. She rolled onto her mutilated stomach and immediately vomited blood. "…Damn," she hissed, pale and sweaty. She could definitely hear shouting and some explosions, but she didn't think she'd be able to lift her head far enough to look back. There was a clanging sound and Al thudded to the ground in front of her, armor destroyed beyond repair. She couldn't help herself, her eyes roved for the first sight of his body, but there was nothing there. _Am I hallucinating? _Bile rose in the back of her throat, and she reached out her arms and dragged herself forward a few feet. The cobblestone scraping against her bloody flesh didn't feel exactly pleasant, but at least they proved to her that she was still alive. _Hooray…_

To her utter annoyance, she felt herself beginning to black out. _Oh, joy. I just hope nobody steps on me. _And then she was spiraling away; her last sensation before blackness being the feeling of somebody hauling her to her feet.

* * *

><p>Unsurprisingly, this job was a lot harder than Pride had said it would be.<p>

_First of all, _Envy thought, as he snatched up the human girl and retreated back into an alley, _this human can't even manage to defend herself properly. What an idiot. It's a good thing nobody was watching her flop around on the ground like a fish, or nabbing her would have been harder._

He dumped her unceremoniously on a trashcan and lifted her shirt, looking at her stomach. It was bloody and torn, the result of Scar's attacks. However, there was a line of damage running up her side that looked as though it had been a long scar before Scar had gotten his hands on it.

"Whatever," Envy mumbled. Clearly, Pride did not want the human dead, and a few hours into his tailing her she was already headed in that direction. Maybe punching her in the solar plexus earlier had damaged her in some irreparable way, but Envy had a feeling that being a famous murderess had made her overly confident; she'd probably only fought a couple of weak alchemists before, and hadn't been expecting so massive an attack.

"Pathetic," he sneered, dropping her bloody shirt back onto her mess of a stomach. "Humans are too weak to be confident." He rolled his eyes as she let out a tiny groan and a little bit of blood spewed from in between her teeth. _Now I'm going to have to find a way to keep her alive until somebody comes, _he thought. _Hooray._

He felt her pulse. There was a steady beating under his fingers that meant that girl was still alive. Now all he had to do was make sure she didn't randomly die until some alchemist could deal with her.

She was doing better than most people would be in this situation, actually. Despite the fact that she was out cold, she'd managed to drag her way to Alphonse Elric before Envy had kicked the big metal armor boy over and snatched her. He didn't think it was a good idea to leave her with Edward and Scar still fighting; speaking of which, maybe checking up on that wouldn't be a bad idea.

He strolled over to the mouth of the alley and blinked. Alphonse was broken and laying on the ground and Scar appeared to be placing his hand on Ed's head… Envy's stomach twisted. "Oh crap," he grumbled, transforming into a dog and lunging out of the alley at the exact same time he heard a voice imploring Scar to release Ed. To his surprise, the pretty much empty street was now swarming with military agents.

_Well, this is awkward, _Envy thought. _Looks like the Fullmetal brat didn't need my help after all. I'll be going, then... _But when he turned around, the agents had made a circle around him, Scar, Ed and Al. _Oh, crap, how do I leave now? _

"Let him go, Scar," the Flame Alchemist was saying, jabbing his finger in Ed's direction. Envy resisted the urge to roll his eyes. _How melodramatic. _Scar stepped away from the boy, and crouched down, jamming his right arm covered in circles and tattoos onto the ground. Envy stepped back as a rain of concrete and brick exploded from the ground. _Escaping into the sewers? Clever._

He barked once or twice, figuring that most dogs would do that in this situation. _Woof, I'm a dog. Now everybody go away so I can transform back._

He glanced over to the surprising sight of Al giving Ed a good punch across the face. His doggy eyes lit up with vindictive pleasure, and he whined happily, wagging his tail. _I hate that pipsqueak. _

"What the hell happened, Fullmetal?" the Flame Alchemist was saying, striding over to Fullmetal and his brother. "And why is there blood all over the floor?" He looked down at Envy, and his eyes narrowed. "And who's dog is that?"

"It's mine." Everybody turned, and Envy was greeted to the surprising sight of the human girl standing at the end of the alley. Blood was running in a continuous stream down her bottom lip and down the curve of her neck to the base of her throat, and her stomach wasn't looking too good either. But she was smirking, and looking at Envy.

There was a shocked silence, the only sound being the drip of blood onto the pavement. Absentmindedly, the girl's tongue flicked out, and she licked at the blood on her chin, wiping away a bit before she doubled over and fell to her knees, coughing up exorbitant amounts of red. "I… am… pathetic," she coughed, each time splattering the ground with sticky strands of blood. She trembled, twitched once, and curled into the fetal position. Envy really did roll his eyes this time and trotted over to her, sniffing at her neck. She appeared to be breathing, and he realized that she was still conscious. "Hi, dog," she whispered. "Sorry for laying claim to you, but I really need a non-judgmental friend."

Envy gave her a toothy smirk. _You couldn't have picked a worse one. _She sighed, fluttered her eyes, and fainted, still streaming blood from various places. Envy felt himself being shoved to the side as somebody reached down and scooped her up, and then someone was putting a hand on his back and guiding him after the Colonel, who he realized was carrying his charge. Envy sighed. _At least this way it'll be easier to follow her, _he thought. _I might learn more about her, too._

_But if she tries to pet me, she is so gonna regret it._


	3. Dr Busk and a Dog Named Fang

**Hey guys! First of all, I wanted to thank everybody who reviewed, because it really means a lot to me. Secondly, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I promise that I'll be getting to the fluffiness soon!**

**Well, probably...!**

* * *

><p>Aelia had never woken up in a hospital before.<p>

There was the scent of disinfectant in the air, and the crisp white sheets folded neatly on top of her made her think almost instantly of a prison. She took a deep breath to calm her hammering heart and tried to sit up. There was a muted pain from her abdomen, but that was all.

"Hm," she sighed, lifting the covers. The bandages wrapped around her were clean; apparently the bleeding had stopped. She put a finger to her chin; it came off clean, someone had mopped her up. She grimaced; she probably looked even worse than she'd used to under her shirt. "I am just a mass of scars," she rasped. "Pathetic."

There was a whine from across the room, and Aelia glanced over to see the dog she'd adopted waiting by the door. She extended a finger. "You," she said. "Come here." The dog pricked up its ears and got to its feet, loping over to her bedside. It was a handsome dog; huge and creamy white, with a brown head and fluffy tail and jaws that looked as though they could deliver crushingly painful bites. Its eyes were a funny color; violet, like the eyes of the boy she'd seen in the library. _I guess having violet eyes isn't rare anymore._

She moved to rest a hand on the dog's head, and to her surprise it bared it teeth at her, narrowing its eyes. There was a growl rattling in its throat, and it looked at her as though anticipating her next move. She frowned faintly.

"You're being disobedient," she said, upset. "I'd hate to discipline you, so please stop." She tried to pet the dog again, and it barked once, moving away. Now she was annoyed.

"Bad dog," she said, swinging her bare legs out from under the covers. She realized that she was wearing a hospital gown, and sighed; it made her look ridiculous. She reached over to her bedside table and plucked up a cup of water, eyeing it for a moment before clapping her tattooed palms together. There was a sizzle, and the water in the paper cup elongated and lengthened into a short spearhead made of ice. She wasted no time in hurling the spearhead at the dog as hard as she could. Like always, her aim was true; the spear landed directly in between the dog's paws, and it jumped back, staring at the icy weapon.

"Next one goes in your paw. Now let me pet you," she commanded, and reached forward. The dog bared its teeth and lunged, pressing her hand between its canines. It gently pressed the sharp points against her flesh, and she waited for it to press down, but it didn't.

"I guess we're at a standstill," she said. "How does this sound: you let go of my hand and I stop trying to pet you?" The dog glanced at her, and suddenly her hand was free, although dripping with slobber. She wrinkled her nose and wiped the stuff on her sheets. "Disgusting. I should have picked a cleaner animal." The dog whined, and she glanced at it. "Quit acting like the victim. You nearly impaled my hand." The dog barked once and curled into a fluffy ball in the center of the room, glaring at her balefully. She rolled her eyes and headed towards the door. "I am so out of here," she mumbled under her breath.

Before she'd even reached for the handle, the door swung open and she jumped back, surprised. To her confusion, a large and heavily-muscled man was waiting just outside her door, stiff at attention with a military salute. "Aelia Alwyn!" He exclaimed. "I have heard of your plight; the difficult battle with Scar in which you were so grievously wounded, and of course your troubled past. The very notion of so young a woman forced into a life she wished to have no part in brings me to tears!" As she watched, his baby-blue eyes filled with the very tears he'd mentioned, and before she could move away he'd grabbed her in a bone-crushing hug. "But never fear! I, Alex Louis Armstrong, will assist you on your quest to become an average citizen of Amestris!"

"Please let go of me," she said quietly, but the man ignored her, sobbing away into her hair. She grimaced; the man was clearly a lunatic. She was going to have to do her best to resist using alchemy to force him to let her go; he was an innocent, and he actually felt bad for her. She didn't think there was anyone else in the world that did.

He finally let her go and she slumped to the ground with an annoyed huff. Sometime in the few seconds she'd been dropping to the floor, Armstrong's shirt had mysteriously vanished and now he was flexing and grunting, mustache quivering with delight. Aelia stared.

She moved to slink around him, but before she could he had her by the arm and was guiding her back towards the bed. "Oh no, Miss Alwyn," he said immediately. "You must rest, and heal!"

"I'm healed," she muttered, feeling like a guilty child and not liking it.

"Healed?" Armstrong looked skeptically at her bandage-covered abdomen. "You must give that another day, at least."

Aelia looked up at him darkly. "Alwyns don't rest," she said. "I may not be perfectly healed, but I can function well enough to stay out of bed." _Rhea taught me well; I remember when she'd slit my arm and make me fight her five seconds after. I wonder what she's doing right now, probably trying to avoid being caught by the military. But I know I did the right thing; ever since she made me… No. Can't think about that._

Armstrong snorted and plopped her onto her bed, completely ignoring her. "Rest!" He exclaimed thunderously, already heading out the door. "I shall collect you tomorrow; and then we shall be off!" _Off; to where? _The door slammed and he was gone.

Aelia sighed in relief. "He was… terrifying," she said aloud, looking over at the dog lying on the floor. "What do you think?" It whined, and she blinked. "I can't keep on thinking of you as 'it,'" she said. "You need a name. And I don't even know what gender you are…" As if sensing her plans, the dog got to its feet and began to whine nervously, tail between its legs. Aelia grinned and got out of bed, rubbing her hands together. "This should be fun," she said.

* * *

><p>Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye walked in on the surprising sight of Aelia Alwyn wrestling open her dog's legs. The dog was quite obviously male, and quite obviously panicked. He snarled and spat at his owner, and said owner looked up as Hawkeye entered the room, dropping the dog. He immediately retreated into a corner, hunkered down, and glared at the girl reproachfully.<p>

Hawkeye gave the girl a hard look. "Do I want to know what you were doing there?" She asked. Aelia grinned.

"I was trying to determine the gender of my pet," she said. "He's male, apparently. Who would've thought?" The dog growled, and both of them ignored him. "What do you think of a name?"

Hawkeye was somewhat partial to the name 'Black Hayate,' but she was going to save the name for herself, in case she ever got a dog someday. Besides, naming a stray had nothing to do with what she was doing here. She clacked her heels together and fixed Aelia with a firm look. "Naming the dog is not what I'm meant to be doing here," she said primly. "I'm supposed to be briefing you on the situation at hand."

Aelia cocked her head. "The situation?"

Riza nodded. "The Fullmetal Alchemist and his brother are both in need of some serious repairs. They are to go to their automail mechanic in Resembool, and you are to accompany them."

"Great," Aelia said. "When do we start?"

"As soon as you've healed sufficiently," Riza said. To her surprise, the girl rolled her eyes.

"I'm fine now," she said. "They used alchemy to fix me up, I suppose?"

"Yes," Riza said simply.

"Well then," Aelia said. "No need to hang around, is there?"

"Have you taken off the bandages yet?" Riza asked, surprising both of them.

"…No," Aelia said. Riza nodded.

"Before you do anything, you should see what state your body is in. You may feel better than you actually are."

"Okay," Aelia said, and to Riza's surprise the girl began pulling her hospital gown over her head. Riza stepped back, blushing crimson, and covered her eyes.

"_Aelia_!" She gasped, horrified. "What are you doing?"

Aelia paused, the gown hovering dangerously in between her belly-button and chest. "What?" She asked. "I'm checking my stomach. Does it bother you to see me naked?"

"Yes," Riza admitted, somewhat shaken. "It isn't right. I barely know you."

Aelia shrugged. "If you want to leave, do it now, then," she said. "But I'm changing." The dog gave a pained whine and trotted towards the door with Riza, as though he had no interest in seeing Aelia naked either. Riza shut the door before he could escape and headed down the corridor. She'd done her job; now it was time to report back to the Colonel. Being away from him even for this short while made her nervous; what if someone had taken advantage of her absence and assassinated him? As his subordinate, and (dare she even think it?) his friend, she had to protect him, with her life, if necessary.

Riza pressed the button to call the elevator and waited, tapping her foot impatiently. As she tapped her foot, someone came up beside her. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. He looked to be her age, with dark scraggly hair that came down to his chin. He was wearing dark clothing, and glasses were perched at the end of his nose. He caught her looking and cocked his head at her. "Hello," he said, conversationally. Riza nodded at him and resumed tapping her foot and waiting for the elevator. The man looked slightly disappointed that she hadn't wanted to talk. He stepped closer to her, and she found herself wanting to move away. _Who is he? And where's the elevator?_

"You work for the military, right?" The man asked.

"Yes," Riza said tersely, not looking him in the eye. The man grinned.

"You don't happen to know where Aelia Alwyn is, by any chance." Riza went cold.

"That is classified information," she said shortly. The man looked disappointed.

"Okay, then," he said. "I have a message for her. Can you deliver it?"

"I'll see what I can do," Riza began, but the man shot forward and grabbed her wrist. She gave a shocked exclamation and tried to pull away, but he pulled her against his chest, pressing his lips to her ear.

"Tell her that Dr. Busk is looking for her," he whispered. "And tell her that this time she isn't going to get away." There was a ding, and the man shoved her away and hopped into the elevator, giving her a cheerful wave as the doors closed. Riza took a deep breath and noted the hovering smell of mint that had hung around the man as he'd whispered to her.

Riza stared at the closed doors for a long time, frowning and breathing heavily. Then she shook her head and turned away; maybe it would be better if she just took the stairs.

* * *

><p>Aelia decided that a good name for her dog would be Fang. Fang didn't seem remotely interested in his new name; in fact he'd been sulking in the corner ever since she'd tried to find out what gender he was. Aelia herself was gathering her stuff; she was leaving this dump before Armstrong showed up with a ukulele and demanded to sing her a 'getting well' song. She didn't know if it was likely, but she already had a feeling that Armstrong was going to be very… interesting.<p>

Her stomach hadn't looked bad. There was a ton of dried blood on it, and the skin was shiny and warped, but there _was_ skin. Now she had a whole new scar to add to her previous one. She shuddered briefly, remembering the events that led to her obtaining that scar in the first place, and then pushed the thoughts out of her mind. She grinned; Fang hadn't been too happy seeing her naked. The dog had pointedly turned around and whined a lot; he could be so human…

"Let's go, boy," she said, cracking open her window. Fang picked up his head and gave her a derisive stare. "What?" She asked. "We're not that high up…" She blinked and looked out; they were quite a bit higher than she'd anticipated. "Never mind," she said, looking back at her pet. "You know what? You can stay here. I'll get Ed or Al to come get you later…" She frowned, remembering the empty armor she'd seen. _Was that Al? Where the hell was his body? I'll have to ask him about that…_

She swung a leg over the windowsill and Fang trained his eyes on her, probably making sure she wouldn't fall. Aelia rolled her eyes and looked down; it was still raining, and the puddles on the ground would be quite enough to catch her. She winked at Fang and jumped out the window, hearing a surprised bark coming from the dog before clapping her hands together. The water in the puddles below converged into one sloshy, admittedly grimy cushion which she dropped into. The water hovered in the air and she hovered in the water before clawing her way to the surface of her floating puddle and clapping her hands. The water fell back to the ground and Aelia shook herself off, smiling in triumph. She could hear Fang barking like a maniac from above her and set off at a brisk trot, ignoring her pet.

_I guess no one figured I'd jump out a window, _Aelia thought, grinning in triumph. _They ought to know that nothing can imprison me, _she thought. _Sometimes I love being an Alwyn. _

She circled around to the front of the large building, having no idea where she was going but figuring that she ought to try and find Central Command. _Where are Ed and Al, anyway? I hope neither of them was injured too badly… I still can't believe that weird guy managed to hurt me. How did that happen?_

The doors to the hospital opened, letting out a small pack of people. Aelia glanced at them idly before turning her head and hurrying into the misty rain, not particularly wanting to be spotted. A few of the people hurried past her, and suddenly she felt a hand at her waist. She grimaced as she was pulled into someone's side, and the familiar scent of mint leaves assailed her.

"Dr. Busk," she said, not looking up at the man she knew was holding her. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"I was in the area," Busk said, gentle pressure on her waist guiding her after him. "I figured I'd drop by."

"What are you going to do?" She asked, mouth dry. Dr. Busk… The one person in the world, other than her older sister Rhea that she was truly afraid of. He seemed to know it, too, and exploited it as often as he could.

"I thought that we should have a chat," the doctor said. "You see, you violated the pact I made with you and your sisters when I first agreed to teach you alchemy. You ran away." The grip on her waist became painful. He turned to her, and she could clearly see the madness glowing in his dark eyes. He leaned in and exhaled the scent of mint into her face. "I should kill you for this."

"But you won't," she said, trying not to tremble.

Busk sighed. "I won't," he agreed. "And do you know why?" He let her go and spun her around by her elbows, making her face him. "When we made our pact, you and your sisters agreed to give me the bodies of those you killed in exchange for my knowledge of alchemy. And for a while, I thought that you running away would carve out a large portion of the bodies I had come to need. But then I realized." He smiled. "Whatever you're doing now is going to create a lot of deaths," he whispered. "And when that happens I'll be ready to take them."

"Fine," she said, trying not to flinch away. Busk released her suddenly, and took a step back.

"You're not very pretty," he said. "Do you want me to make you beautiful, Aelia Alwyn? I could make it so that any boy you met would fall instantly in love with you. But there would be a price; there always is." He threw back his head and laughed, ignoring the quizzical stares coming from the people around them. Aelia realized that he had guided her to the steps of Central Command; the creep always knew what her motivations were; where she was going, why she was there… She'd assumed that leaving her sisters would be leaving Busk, but apparently she'd been wrong.

"Fuck off," she muttered, turning away to head up the steps. Busk caught her arm.

"We'll be in touch," he murmured, chin stubble scratching against her cheek. "I have… things to do, but that doesn't mean I can't keep in touch with you somehow. You haven't seen the last of me yet, Aelia Alwyn." He turned and headed into the mist. She'd lost him in seconds.

Waves of revulsion crawling up her skin, Aelia turned to head up the steps when a familiar white and brown dog padded to her side. "How'd you get here, Fang?" She asked, but he didn't answer. _Of course he can't answer; he's a dog, genius! _

She walked up the steps and headed inside Central Command; no one stopped her this time, although she got a lot of odd looks. Apparently people knew who she was and why she'd be hanging around now. _That's annoying; I much prefer being inconspicuous._

She knew where Mustang's office was now, and headed to it as fast as she could walk, drenched to the skin. She didn't know if the Flame Alchemist would be willing to dry her off (probably not) but it was worth a shot.

She knocked on the door once and heard a muffled shout that she took to mean she was allowed entry. She opened the door and was treated to an odd sight: the Fullmetal Alchemist was sitting in a corner, one arm missing, and Al was lying on the ground and… She rubbed her eyes to make sure that she wasn't seeing things. She hadn't been hallucinating; there was nothing at all in Alphonse's armor.

The room was frozen; everyone was waiting for her reaction. To everyone's surprise, no doubt, she simply yawned, rubbed her eyes, and flopped onto the ground. "Hey, Al," she said. "You look beat."

"Aelia!" Al exclaimed. "You don't- I mean, don't you-?"

"Care that you're not human? Not really," Aelia said. She blinked as Ed lunged from where he was sitting and grabbed her by the collar.

"Al's still human," Ed snarled, shaking her. "Just because he doesn't have a body doesn't make him a monster! The real monster here would be you; killing every military agent who crossed your path just because you could!"

"That wasn't the reason," she exclaimed coolly. She could feel Fang tensing at her side. "But that's not my secret to tell. Now put me down." Averting his gaze, Ed let go of her abruptly and she fell to the ground. Fang was snarling softly at the Fullmetal Alchemist, and she realized that one of the officers, the chubby one, had fled the room; probably because of Fang. Maybe he was afraid of dogs?

"What are you doing out of bed?" Riza Hawkeye was asking her, giving Ed a warning glare.

"I jumped out the window and came here," Aelia replied. "And don't tell me that I was breaking any rules, because I'm supposed to stay with Ed and Al, remember?" Hawkeye rolled her eyes and shook her head, and then stiffened, as though remembering something.

"There was someone here to see you earlier," she said. "His name was Dr. Busk."

Now it was Aelia's turn to roll her eyes. "Don't worry, I already saw him," she said. "He caught me in the rain as I was heading here."

"Dr. Busk, huh?" Roy Mustang said from behind his desk. "Would anybody care to enlighten me?"

"Creepy dude who used to know me, back when I… Yeah. He taught me Wave Alchemy; I'm pretty sure he knows practically all the alchemies in the world. But his own is the most interesting." She shuddered briefly. "I don't know what he does with them, but he likes to collect the bodies of the military agents we used to kill. He never showed me exactly what he does, but it's probably bad."

"Huh," Roy said. "I suppose I should get some agents to check that out." He gave a meaningful look to the rest of his subordinates, who all shrank back nervously.

"What are we waiting around here for, anyway?" Ed asked, not looking at Aelia. "Now that _she's _here, we're all set, aren't we?"

"Not quite," Colonel Mustang said, looking smug. "I actually made a small addition to your party for the time being; I hope you don't mind."

"A small addition?" Al asked, looking up from the floor. "Who?"

Mustang opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by the crash of the wooden door bursting open. Standing in the doorway was a very tall, very muscled and sparkly man who Aelia unfortunately recognized.

"I, MAJOR ALEX LOUIS ARMSTRONG, AM HERE TO ACCOMPANY YOU ON YOUR JOURNEY TO RESEMBOOL, ELRICS AND ALWYN!"

Oh, _no_.

* * *

><p>It was getting more and more difficult, Dante mused, to keep track of her pawns.<p>

She reclined in her chair, sipping tea delicately from a china cup. _Tea, _she thought. _The old woman's stereotypical drink. _A light shone behind her faded blue eyes. _But I am certainly not the stereotypical old woman._

Thinking back on her original topic, the spark in her eyes flared in annoyance. It was simply getting too hard to keep track of everyone. There just _had _to be four Alwyns, which certainly made things annoyingly difficult. It would be easier if Gluttony wasn't such an incompetent, but _no_, it was always "Lust this" and "Lust that." For the love of Leto, did the oversized tub of lard even have a brain in his pudgy head?

Dante took a deep breath to calm herself. Even with Sloth, Lust and Gluttony marking the other three sisters and Envy marking the runner, she needed more. More homunculi; more pawns. Pride was useless at this sort of thing; he couldn't do anything except run the military. Greed was out, obviously. And there hadn't been even a whiff of a new Wrath. There were quite a few things that needed to be done that had nothing to do with the Alwyn sisters, and she needed enough homunculi to get it all done. _I'll have to call back Sloth, _she thought reluctantly, _and let Lust and Gluttony handle the Alwyns on their own. But there still isn't all that much Sloth can do. No; I need more, another homunculus. Why hasn't there been anyone stupid enough to attempt human transmutation for so long?_

She took another long, calming breath. There were always solutions to problems like this. She could find them; the alchemists willing to sell themselves for someone they loved, and steal that person away from them. And then, when they tried and failed to bring that person back…

She rubbed her wrinkled hands together maliciously. "Enter homunculus Number Eight," she said, and went back to her tea.


	4. The Things I Do

**Hey guys! First off, I wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who reviewed. I appreciate it a lot; I really do. **

**Okay, I just wanted to make it clear that although the main focus of this story is Envy and Aelia, there are going to be some side plots. And definitely some villains. And... yeah. There's going to be a story line. Not just fluffiness. Not that I've started the fluffiness yet...**

**But trust me. It's coming, and pretty soon, too.**

**Okay, that's enough from me. Enjoy chapter four, everybody, and don't forget to press that little 'review' button at the bottom. He's lonely; he needs friends! **

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><p>Aelia pressed her cheek against the cool train window, trying to ignore the fact that Major Armstrong was sitting next to her and squishing her against the side of the train. The Major didn't seem to notice her discomfort; that or he was just ignoring it. Either was possible.<p>

Ed, the lucky bastard, had a seat all to himself, and seemed way too smug about it. He was splayed over the whole seat, head tipped back triumphantly. Occasionally he'd shoot Aelia a look as though daring her to argue.

It was all very immature.

Fang was under the seat, warm furry body pressed against the back of Aelia's legs. Occasionally, he'd nip her heels if she kicked him, and sometimes it felt as though he were just doing it for fun. The few times she'd tried to pet him had been futile; he'd actually managed to nip the very tip of her finger once, which was not okay. Eventually she'd stopped trying.

Al was nowhere to be seen; he was being shipped in cargo. Ed had been pretty mad about it, but Armstrong had reminded the alchemist that it was cheaper, and eventually he'd stopped raging and settled into his seat. Besides, Ed had used alchemy to fix Al's broken armor, so if the boy needed to come and see them, he could.

Aelia sighed and wriggled, trying to get comfortable. It wasn't easy; whenever she shifted Armstrong would shift too, until she found with amazement that her face was jammed against the glass. _How did that even happen? _She shot up suddenly, jolting out of her seat. Standing was better. Fang looked up lethargically, and then whined, head falling back to the plush carpeted train floor. _Lazy dog._

She moved to wander out of the train car, and jumped as she felt cool fingers grasping her wrist. "Where do you think you're going?" Ed asked, not even bothering to look up at her.

She stared down at him, a tiny from on her face. "Away," she answered shortly. He shook his head, and turned so that his golden eyes locked onto her own.

"No point," he said. "We're nearly there." For a moment he looked at her, and then he turned away and dropped her wrist as though it were a slightly offensive object that he had no desire to be holding. Aelia rubbed her wrist thoughtfully, not moving. It was the first time they'd actually managed to have a civil conversation. Maybe traveling with Edward Elric wouldn't be as bad as she'd been expecting.

There was a sudden screech, and the train jolted to a halt. Aelia rolled her eyes as she tumbled to the ground, and ground her teeth as a smirking Ed stepped over her. She glowered as Fang too stepped over her, and then Armstrong, although he offered her a hand. Getting to her feet, she glared angrily at the dog and the boy. Both seemed annoyingly triumphant.

They picked up Al (he was still marveling at being treated like cargo) and headed in the direction of the small town of Resembool. Ed hadn't actually talked to her before, but Al had mentioned that Winry was the boy's automail mechanic, and was apparently pretty fierce. Aelia was very interested in meeting this 'pretty fierce' girl; she seemed like a fascinating individual.

Nobody talked much on the long trudge to the village. Ed and Al seemed to be excited about going home, and Armstrong was humming quietly to himself. Fang, of course, couldn't talk, and even if he could Aelia doubted he'd have anything of interest to say.

She could tell when they were getting close, because Ed and Al began to point things out to one another in soft tones. She almost wanted to ask them questions; how they felt about being home again after a long time, if they were excited about seeing Winry, how long they were going to stay. But she didn't ask. It felt private somehow, and she knew intruding would not end up well for her. In fact, she'd probably end up getting punched by the Fullmetal midget himself, and seeing as she was still recovering from the whole Scar incident she wasn't in the mood to get the crap beaten out of her.

Ed and Al perked up visibly when they made it to the house. It was a quaint little house; with a sign out front advertising automail. Aelia thought it was pretty cute; in fact the whole town of Resembool seemed simply charming. Aelia, having grown up amidst the dust and blood of the border of Aerugo, had no prior knowledge of charming. It seemed like a nice place to stay for a few weeks, but any longer and she'd go crazy. Some people just weren't suited for the quiet lifestyle.

Before they'd even made it to the door, there was the sound of a door opening from above. Aelia looked up in time to see a grey projectile whirling from the balcony. She gave a tiny laugh as it hit Ed on the side of the face and he tumbled over onto the ground. _Payback._

The person who'd thrown it was a pretty blonde girl with a crazy smile and sparkling eyes. She grinned at the felled Ed and waved at the company. "You had to break your automail to come back, didn't you?" She called, but there was laughter in her voice. "Don't just stand there; come inside!" She whirled around and darted into the balcony doors.

Aelia reached out a hand and grasped Ed's. He scowled at her but allowed her to pull him to his feet. Grinning, she picked up the wrench and examined it; it really was an excellent weapon. _Maybe I should get one of these._

"Shall we go inside?" Armstrong asked, after a moment. Ed, rubbing his head with an annoyed grimace on his face, simply nodded. The four of them and the dog stepped inside the little house, and suddenly Ed was being hugged fiercely by the pretty blonde girl. She moved on to Al next, and paused, looking at Aelia and Armstrong.

"Hello!" She said, after a second's deliberation. "I'm Winry; it's nice to meet you!" She stuck out a hand for each of them to shake. Aelia took it gingerly; in truth she wasn't used to such a diplomatic approach to making new acquaintances. The last time she'd been involved in a meeting that hadn't ended up in death was when she'd met Dr. Busk, and at the time he'd had her in a headlock, not to mention a knife to her throat. Added to the fact that he was using her as bait for Rhea, and the whole situation hadn't seemed very friendly.

"Hello, Miss Winry," Armstrong said formally, eyelashes fluttering. "My name is Alex Louis Armstrong."

"I'm Aelia," Aelia muttered. Winry frowned for a second.

"Have I ever met you?" She asked; a wrinkle in between her eyebrows. "You seem pretty familiar."

"No," Aelia began, but Ed finished for her.

"You've probably seen her in the papers," he said. "She's one of the Alwyns. You know; the four mass-murdering sisters?" An expression of horror flitted across Winry's face before she brutally stamped it away.

"It's… um… nice to meet you?" she tried. She didn't sound very convincing, but it was better than the whole sobbing thing that Sheska had pulled.

"You too," Aelia muttered. She was sure eventually she'd have to explain herself to Winry, but for now it was better that she didn't get into detail. As soon as she got into detail, people stopped talking to her. And Winry was the first girl her age that she'd talked to in a while.

For a moment, there was a bit of an awkward silence as Aelia shuffled her feet and looked at her toes and Ed and Al fidgeted. Aelia realized the problem, and brightened considerably.

"You guys should get some time to catch up," she said, indicating the brothers and Winry. "If you need me, I'll be in one of the guest rooms I assume you have." Before anyone could object, she was on her way towards a row of doors that were hopefully guest rooms. She wrenched one open, spotted a bed, and hopped inside, pausing for a second to let Fang slip in through the crack before shutting the door completely.

As soon as she was sure there was no one in the room but herself and her pet, she sighed and rubbed her eyes, heading over to the bed. She flopped down and stared at the off-white ceiling, tired as hell but already knowing that she wasn't going to sleep. _That's one thing I don't do, _she thought to herself. _Sleep. It can't be good for my system. _

Sometimes she hated being an insomniac. She couldn't remember the last time she hadn't been tired, but she'd stopped being affected by it so much. She usually got a good two hours or so of sleep a night, and she was able to function on it now, after Rhea had trained her to. _I'm just a mass of training, _she thought, running her hand lightly over her sweater where her scar would be. _I need a real life too. And now I have one. _

She only realized that she was petting Fang when she felt the growl building up in his throat. She yelped and pulled away as she realized that her free hand had been resting on top of his head. "You have silky fur," she told him absentmindedly, settling back against her pillow. "It's nice." The dog only whined, and she closed her eyes, angling for a sleep that she already knew she wasn't going to be able to get.

* * *

><p>Eris was used to the screaming now.<p>

It filled her ears on a daily basis, along with the smoke. And there'd been more pain than usual, too, ever since… No, she couldn't think about Aelia. Even thinking about her former sister sent waves of betrayal and anger curling in her stomach.

The military was after her. They were after Rhea and Saia too, but she was the real target. They'd figured it out pretty quickly, after the small army had come after them. They seemed to know every one of the sister's hideouts, and Eris had been attacked more times than she liked to think about.

Of course, she'd never been defeated. But really, it was only a matter of time.

They'd been trying to separate her from the others. Saia and Rhea were dangerous opponents to the military; skilled devils that could annihilate an entire army with Eris and Aelia at their side. Of course, Aelia had turned out to be a traitor, and now Eris had been caught in a ruined building with no way out and Saia and Rhea were nowhere to be found. No doubt they'd cut their losses and retreated to a safe place. She didn't blame them; although in this situation she didn't think she'd do the same. Of course, Rhea and Saia were very different than she was. Sometimes she could even see why Aelia had abandoned them.

The open, crumbled doors in front of her were empty, but she knew in a few moments they'd be swarming with military agents. She cracked her knuckles and knelt, pressing her palms against the concrete ground. If this was going to be the end, the least she could do was make it interesting for all the parties involved. She could block the entrance with alchemy, of course, but they had some sort of ridiculously powerful alchemist with them, someone named Basque Grande. The man seemed all too eager to reduce her alchemy to dust. Better concentrate on offensive techniques instead.

There was a flash of blue and Eris tensed. Yes, they were coming now. Well, she would meet them head on. Military agents had tentatively begun to approach the door, and she shot up and hurtled towards them, clapping her hands together. The transmutation circle on the back of her hand itched and a sharp knife shot out of the ground, fused together with alchemy, of course. She caught it expertly and began to zigzag, anticipating a hail of bullets. None came, though, and in seconds she was upon them.

The first agent was a man, a blonde man. She sliced her stone knife into his neck and he crumpled like paper beneath her. She kicked the second man in the chin, and the third agent, a woman, fell back with cracked ribs after a powerful kick to the chest. Eris ducked agilely under a roundhouse punch and sliced with her knife, cutting deeply into a man's wrist.

She gasped suddenly as a flash of hot pain traveled up her leg. Unwillingly she looked down to see that she'd been impaled in the leg by a thick stone projectile from the ground. She turned and scowled at Basque Grande, who was smiling as though he'd won the lottery. With a sickening crunch, she pulled her leg off the stone spire and turned to face him.

Someone grabbed her around the chest and she stabbed behind her left shoulder, hearing with satisfaction the grunt of pain and noting her immediate release. Grande studied her for a moment before clapping his massive hands together. A patch of stone spears shot from the ground, going for her uninjured leg, but she leapt over them, landing directly in front of the State Alchemist. She clapped her own hands together and a fist came out of the ground, crashing into Grande's side. He barely staggered, and Eris felt a wave of loneliness. _This is the kind of man Aelia could take down easily, _she thought. _I'm not built for this at all. _Her leg was a mangled mess; rivulets of blood spattered the floor. _I'm going to die. Leto preserve me; I'm actually going to die._

Basque grinned at her sardonically, stepping aside to reveal at least fifteen armed agents, aiming guns directly at her. She moved to clap her hands but felt someone grabbing her arm and suddenly there were at least three on top of her, wrestling her to the ground. She struggled up, but they shoved her face in the concrete until she was still. The last thing she remembered seeing before they whipped a black hood over her face was the smile of Basque Grande, and the feeling of utter, intense failure…

* * *

><p>Envy was beginning to feel as though his tactics weren't working.<p>

For one thing, he'd been following the stupid human for nearly a week now and was still no closer to learning any of her secrets than he had been when he started this dumb job. To make matters worse, the stupid creature actually seemed to be making a tentative friendship with the idiotic Elric brothers, and sort of maybe even that mechanic girl.

Envy was not at all okay with that.

_You're supposed to stay all whiny and depressed, you dumb girl, _he fumed, glaring at her prone form from where she'd finally fallen asleep. This was the fifth night they'd been in this boring town, and Envy was sick and tired of the place. There was nothing for "Fang" to do here except chase birds and bark. How utterly monotonous.

Envy groaned and yawned, transforming to himself before getting up and stretching. His form was beautiful; how he hated being stuck as a dog all the time. Especially that girl's dog. She'd actually managed to pet him the other day, and he'd even let her for a couple of seconds. _Ugh, I'm going soft._

He opened the door to her room and headed out, playing idly with his long green hair. In truth, he didn't know how he'd managed to go so long without being beautiful. It hadn't been easy.

He found himself morphing into the mechanic girl. He had an inkling of an idea, and he was anxious to put it into motion. _If that idiot Elric dies, Dante will kill me. I need that mechanic girl. We're leaving tomorrow, and like it or not, the girl's coming too._

He knew where Ed's room was; after being in this stupid house for so long he knew where everyone'sroom was. Even the old, wrinkled human. Not that he had any desire to sneak into herroom at night. He shuddered. He didn't know how it was possible, but humans actually managed to get _uglier_ as they got older.

He knocked gently on Ed's door, and in a few moments, a sleep-tousled Edward Elric opened said door, looking mildly annoyed until he saw who it was. "Winry?" He asked, sounding confused. "What's the matter?"

"I couldn't sleep," Envy sighed, leaning against the doorframe. "Can I come in?" Ed nodded mechanically, opening the door wider to let who he thought was his friend inside. Envy grinned maliciously at the boy's back. _I've got him right where I want him. _He actually wasn't half-bad at playing Winry now that he'd been near her for a week. In fact, Envy was pretty sure he'd be able to fool even Winry's idiotic boyfriend.

Alphonse was nowhere to be seen; the boy had his own room. That was good; otherwise Envy's plan might not have worked out. He sat down on the bed and Ed hesitantly joined him. For a moment, no one said anything.

Suddenly, Envy sighed, resting his cheek in his hand. "Oh, Ed," he sighed. "I really worry about you, you know?"

Ed's golden eyes widened. "Don't worry about us, Winry," he told him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Al and I are gonna be fine." He smiled at him gently.

Envy shook his head, and his large blue eyes began to swim with tears. Internally, he was laughing his head off. _This is hysterical! What a sap; he actually believes me! _"No, Ed," he said, looking at him fiercely. "How can I know that for sure?"

Now Ed looked really scared. "Don't cry, Winry," he begged. Envy shook his head again.

"You're such an idiot, Ed," he growled. "Can't you see? I'm trying to ask you something!" A sob escaped his lips, and he tried not to smack Ed's hands away as the boy put his arm around his shoulders. The next part would take some conviction, but Envy was an actor. He could pull it off.

"You stupid boy," he sobbed, moving his face very close to Ed's. "Don't you see? You keep getting hurt, and I worry about you. Please, Ed, let me come with you."

Ed recoiled. "What? _No_, Winry, of course you can't!"

"Why not!" Envy yelped, curling his hand into a fist. "Damn it, Ed! I don't care where you go! I just want to be with you!"

"Why?" Ed snapped. "All we do is get into trouble and try to avoid dying. Why would you want that?"

Envy's insides twisted. _Better make this convincing. _"Because I love you, you idiot!" He exclaimed, wrapping his arms around a very surprised Edward Elric. He turned his face and kissed Ed full on the lips. _Ugh; I never thought I'd actually have to kiss this little creep… I hate my job._

He broke the kiss off abruptly and looked at the floor. "Please, Ed," he whispered, feminine voice breaking. A single tear rolled down his cheek, and inside he celebrated his excellent performance. "Please."

There was a moment of silence. Envy glanced up to see the expression frozen on Ed's face. His golden eyes were shining, and he looked as though he'd just had an epiphany. "You… you love me?" He asked, looking into Envy's deep blue eyes.

Envy nodded sincerely. "How could I not?" He whispered. "Let me go with you, Ed."

There was a long pause. And then Ed's head began to nod, almost unwillingly. "Damn it, Winry," he whispered. "I can't say no to you." His golden eyes turned stern. "But I'm not letting you do anything dangerous! If we go anywhere unsafe you're staying behind!"

"Fine," Envy whispered, hugging Ed around the chest. "As long as I get to be with you…" He let the words hang on the air. He tried not to grimace as Ed touched his cheek, and suddenly the alchemist's lips were pressed to his own. _Disgusting. The things I do… _

Ed pulled away after a minute, and Envy smiled tragically. "Thank you, Ed," he whispered, getting up. "I think I'll be able to sleep now." He kissed Ed on the cheek and turned, waltzing out of the room and shutting the door behind him.

As soon as the door was safely shut, Envy let himself morph into the form of Edward Elric. He hurried down the hall, stopping as he realized that there was a light on in front of the automail workshop. Apparently the mechanic girl really couldn't sleep. He grinned; that just made things easier.

He opened her door and stepped inside. She looked up at his approach; lying in her lap was an automail leg that looked close to completion. Winry yawned and placed it on the desk, rolling towards Envy in her chair. "I couldn't sleep," she admitted. "What's up?"

"I have to talk to you," Envy said. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you…" Winry frowned.

"What is it, Ed?" She asked, picking up her wrench. Envy wasn't scared but he knew that Ed would be. He swallowed and began to stammer.

"Well- you know, it's not as if- I mean- well, what I want is…" He trailed off as Winry began hitting the wrench in her open palm.

"Get to the point," she growled.

"I WANT YOU TO COME WITH US!" Envy wailed, closing his eyes as though expecting to be smacked with the wrench any second. There was a long silence from Winry. He opened his now-golden eyes to see her staring at him with her jaw hanging open.

"What?" She asked, finally.

"You heard me," Envy said crossly. "It's getting harder to find a good mechanic. I need you, Winry."

To his horror, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Wouldn't that mean taking me into danger? This doesn't seem like you, Ed."

Envy took a deep breath. "Winry," he said slowly, walking forward until he was standing in front of the girl. "It's not safe here, either."

Winry cocked her head. "… What do you mean?" She asked. Envy forced a grim expression onto his face.

"Do you know what a homunculus is?" He asked her seriously. He put a hand to his forehead when Winry shook her head. "Exactly," he said. "They're pretty much artificial humans, and they've been after me for a while."

"After you?" Winry exclaimed, rising from her chair. "What the hell, Ed? Why wouldn't you mention this?"

"I don't know!" Envy exclaimed, throwing his arms up. "But the point is… I need you to stay with me, Winry. They probably know that you live here alone, and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if they hurt you because of me."

Winry was shaking her head, but she seemed less sure than before. "What about Granny?" She asked. "I don't suppose you want her to come along, too."

"She should stay here," Envy said quickly. There was no way the old human was tagging along. She was repulsive. "I mean, what I'm doing's pretty dangerous. It's not really safe for her anywhere. But if you come with me, I _know _I'll be able to protect you."

"I don't know, Ed…" Winry said, resting her head on her hand. "What about the shop? And I really can't just leave Granny here all alone. And-…" Envy jerked forward suddenly, grasping the base of her cheek in one cool metal hand. He pressed his lips to her own. _Jeez, she's a much better kisser than Fullmetal. He was pathetic. _

He broke away and glared at her with angry golden eyes, daring her to argue. Winry's eyes filled with tears, and she hugged Envy to her chest. "Oh, Ed," she sobbed happily. "You stupid boy."

"Does this mean you'll come with me?" Envy asked, stroking her back comfortingly. She nodded in reply, and he knew he'd won.

"You'd better tell Granny," he told her, and she nodded, rubbing away her tears with the back of her hand. "Also… maybe it would be better if we told people that you were the one who asked to come along. I mean… I don't feel like telling everybody yet. About us. You know?"

Winry looked at him and yawned. "Alright, Ed," she said finally, getting up and opening the door. "I guess I'll tell Granny now." She looked at him for a minute, blue eyes shining. Then she grinned. "I've been waiting for forever for you to kiss me," she admitted, and hurried out of the room.

Envy walked quickly back to the Alwyn girl's room, and opened the door, morphing back into Fang. He settled at the foot of her bed, exactly where he'd been before his little midnight stroll. A smile contorted his features.

He may have been a dog, but that smile was creepier than any smile a human could have made, by far.


	5. Make New Friends

**Hey guys! Well, its chapter five, and lets just say that certain people's secrets (cough Envy cough) are revealed to certain murderesses (cough Aelia cough). With all that and the introduction of a new OC as well as the Crimson Alchemist, this chapter has a lot going on! So I hope you guys enjoy it!**

**Also, many thanks to KuramaMustangElric, Elayna19, Seize the Rain, Eclipsewings and AmiiStarr for reviewing. I love you guys!**

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><p>Aelia was still somewhat confused over the course of events that had ended up with Winry sitting next to her in the train car. But hey, it was all good, right…? Despite the fact that Aelia and Winry had only talked two or three times. Aelia was pretty sure that Winry had been intentionally avoiding her, which she was mildly okay with. She figured things would be awkward if they had to have a conversation for an extended period of time, so she just let it be.<p>

They were looking for an individual named Dr. Marcoh, apparently. Aelia had no idea why he was important (no one would tell her anything, although she'd deduced for herself that the boys were looking for a way to fix Alphonse's body) and she felt somewhat left out, like the third wheel. Well, more like the fifth wheel, but the point was that she didn't belong.

Her only real friend in this messed up country was Fang, and he wasn't that great. Just yesterday she'd tried to pet him and he'd actually bitten her. She'd been pissed and had splashed him with water as punishment, but now he kept on glaring at her, as though he were planning some kind of twisted revenge. And he was only a dog.

She poked at her stomach with the tip of her finger. It didn't hurt so much anymore, but she still didn't think she should be doing any strenuous activities in the near future. Even Aelia Alwyn had limits, although she didn't like to think about them.

Armstrong was squashed up against Ed this time, and once again Al was in cargo. Aelia couldn't help but laugh when she thought about it. The hold had been filled with sheep, and a few of them had started grazing on Alphonse as they'd left. She wasn't sure whether they'd ever figure out that he wasn't actually food. It seemed unlikely.

The train ground to a halt, eventually, and Aelia was the first off. She was beginning to seriously dislike trains. It felt as though everybody else had someone to talk to, and she wasn't interested in sitting around and twiddling her thumbs.

When the entire party had assembled on the platform, Ed announced that they were going to find Dr. Marcoh, a man he was certain knew about the Philosopher's Stone. _Hah! So _that's _what he's looking for! So he's going to restore Al's body with the Philosopher's Stone… Hm. Not a bad idea, actually. _

He suggested that they split up in different parties to look for the doctor, as the townspeople weren't likely to tell anything to such a big mob. "Alright… I'll go alone, Al and Aelia can go together, and so can Winry and the major."

"NO, EDWARD!" Armstrong roared. Aelia inched away slowly; she thought she could see sparkles coming off his very skin… Was that even possible? "YOU CANNOT GO ALONE! YOU NEED PROTECTION!" Ed rolled his eyes.

"I have an idea," Aelia said quietly. Everyone turned to look at her. She smiled at Ed, and strangely enough he didn't glare back at her, keeping his face neutral. "You can go with Fang," she said, giving the dog a gentle push in Ed's direction.

"A DOG IS NO MATCH FOR THE PURE POWER PASSED DOWN THROUGH THE ARMSTRONG FAMILY FOR GENERATIONS!" Armstrong cried, ripping off his shirt. Ed groaned.

"Fine," Aelia said quickly. "Ed can go with Armstrong, and Fang can go with Winry."

"Sounds fair enough," Winry said, holding her hand out for the dog to sniff. Fang growled, and she cringed.

The three parties set out quickly. Al and Aelia asked some old people they figured would know about this sort of thing, but there was nothing. No Dr. Marcoh in sight. They kept on telling the duo in faded whispers about how a certain Dr. _Mauro _had saved their lives on numerous occasions, but never a Dr. Marcoh.

"Marcoh and Mauro sound kind of similar to me," Aelia commented, looking at Al. She was leaning against a wall in an alley; sipping on an iced drink she'd forced Al to buy her.

"I guess so," Al said. "Maybe he's trying to hide his identity. But why would he do that?"

"Maybe we should find out," Aelia suggested, reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a crumpled piece of paper with Mauro's address scrawled on it in arthritic handwriting. "According to this… we're a couple of blocks away," she said, refolding it and placing it gently in her pocket. She turned to Al. "Let's go," she said, discarding the drink. She imagined that if Al had eyes, they'd be rolling.

They headed out of the alley quickly, moving towards the address Aelia had pointed out. They turned a corner and were greeted by the sight of Ed and Armstrong already opening the door to the house Aelia had written down. She watched as an older man stepped into the threshold. Seeing Armstrong, he seemed to panic and pulled a gun, but Ed said something reassuringly and he put the gun down slowly. "Guess that's Mauro," Aelia said. She pointed at the door. "Go get him," she said. "This guy has nothing to do with me; I'm not interested in the slightest."

Al nodded fractionally. "Are you sure you'll be alright out here? I mean, technically you're still recovering, and we're supposed to be watching you…" Aelia shrugged.

"I'm not going to run away, and what are the odds that someone will actually attack me?" she snorted. "I'll be fine, Al. Just go." She pointed at the rapidly closing door to make her point. The boy nodded and hurried over, slipping in through the crack before it closed completely.

Aelia sighed and sat down on the stoop. Apparently Winry hadn't thought to come here; she and Fang were probably still wandering around, looking for Marcoh, when they'd already found him. She crossed her legs and absentmindedly began playing with her hair, twirling it around her slender fingers.

She looked up at the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps. Winry and Fang, completely out of breath, were jogging up to the house. Winry groaned when she saw Aelia. "I knew we'd be the last ones!" she complained, walking past the murderess and up to the door. "I'm going in," she informed Aelia civilly. Winry, at least, didn't seem to have much of a problem with her. The girl opened the door and stepped inside, shutting it behind her and leaving Aelia and Fang outside.

She leaned against the door and looked at Fang. "Hey," she said. "Took you long enough to show up." The dog didn't do anything, but she could have sworn that he rolled his eyes. _Really? What kind of dog does that?_

"Ed, Al, Winry and that crazy State Alchemist Armstrong are probably all getting chummy in there," she muttered. "But no, the fearless Aelia Alwyn decides to wait outside. Why? Not because anyone told her to; because she _wasn't interested. _Well, now I'm bored. I'm going in." She got up to turn around when she heard the voice. And it was one that she recognized. She really, really hated the owner of that voice.

"It's you again," Scar said, from behind her. She gritted her teeth and tensed.

"_You_," she snarled, already reaching into her pocket for her precious vial of water. Her fingertips brushed its surface and she uncorked the bottle, turning to face the man. "What the hell do you want?"

"I want to save everyone in that house," he said calmly, looking at her from behind his sunglasses. "The State Alchemists have strayed from the path of God. I've beaten you once before. Do you want to try again?"

Aelia nodded and grinned. "Of course," she said. _What happened to my self-preservation skills? Gone. On second thought, did I ever even have them?_

_That's something to think about when a crazy man isn't trying to explode my head. _

The scarred man stepped forward, pulling up his sleeve to show her the intricate web of tattoos covering his right arm. "This is your last chance, little girl," he warned her. "Step aside."

Aelia bristled. "No," she said, and clapped her hands together, tipping her vial onto her palms. There was a flash of dark blue light and a short icy spear appeared in her hand, which was good, because the scarred man was on top of her.

He grabbed her arm with his right hand and she stabbed her spear into his shoulder without preamble. He winced and pulled away but she held on until the spear broke; the tip still stuck inside Scar's shoulder and the shaft in her hand. He growled at her, pulling the spearhead out of his shoulder with his bare hands. Blood ran in rivulets down his arm, and his fingers twitched before he lunged at her again.

She ducked, and he hit the door behind her and put his hand on the small of her back. She braced herself for a miniature explosion, but she heard a shout and turned to see Fang's teeth buried in Scar's leg. Scar cursed and reached down to end the dog's life, but Fang danced backwards, barking like a maniac and baring his bloody teeth.

Aelia backed away slowly. Already her stomach was starting to twinge from the last time Scar had attacked her. In hindsight, maybe this fight hadn't been such a good idea after all. She considered surrendering for a brief instance, but years of Rhea's training pushed the thought away. Aelia did not surrender unless there were no other options. And right now, there were a few.

She jumped off the stoop completely and landed next to a barrel she was pretty sure was filled with wine, judging from the grapes printed on the side. She gave the barrel a good kick and it fell onto its ribbed belly, smashing like an egg on the pavement. Scar jumped over the railing and lunged at her as she clapped her hands together and used the minimal amount of water in the wine to spray him in the face.

Scar froze; hair now blood-red from the wine. It dripped down his front, and he gave Aelia a look of pure derision before grabbing one of her still outstretched arms. There was a flash of pain and suddenly Aelia realized that Scar had scorched the flesh on her arm completely. It was hanging off her bone in loose folds, and at one place she could see directly through muscle and into bone.

She collapsed pretty much instantly. In her defense, she wasn't used to so much pain all at once, and certainly wasn't used to being beaten by the same person _twice_. It was very unsettling.

She snarled as Scar lifted her chin with his right arm. "Why are you opposing me, girl?" he asked her, eyes probably flashing behind the sunglasses. "This is the second time I've defeated you. Why won't you just give up?"

"I can't give up," she exclaimed, swinging her ruined arm into her lap, "Because you beat me." He realized that her hands were pressed together at the same time her own blood flowed from her arm and shot up his nose.

Aelia smiled proudly. It had been an unexpected attack; that was for sure. And she was beginning to master the control of liquids other than water. This was good, because apparently she wasn't the strongest kid on the block anymore.

Scar fell back and Aelia got to her feet, trying to ignore the now stabbing pains in her belly. She wasn't sure if she was going to start vomiting blood again, but it was a distinct possibility. Scar got to his feet angrily, and took off the sunglasses to reveal narrowed eyes.

"I've had enough of you," he growled. "Time to end this…" He raised his right arm to strike and froze suddenly, staring at the arm. He began to shake, as though he were trying to move forward, but to no avail. His eyes widened as a hand grasped him around the waist, and another touched his cheek and another still patted him on the shoulder.

"I think it is time for you to go home now, scarred man," the girl who was standing behind him said. Her blue eyes gleamed, and her one of her many hands brushed her black hair out of her face. She grinned at the Ishbalan through her fangs. Aelia realized with interest that there was a sticky white thread coming from in between the girl's fangs, which had attached itself to Scar's arm. As Aelia watched, the girl's tongue flicked out. As soon as it touched the thread, it dissolved as though it were made of acid.

"Go on, scarred man," the girl whispered, voice vibrating in the wind. "Run." Her smile contorted into a grimace. "RUN!"

To Aelia's surprise, Scar shot the girl an angry look before turning tail and running into an ally. Apparently he knew when he was beaten; a quality Aelia figured she should really learn. But she couldn't help it; it was in her nature to love a good battle… Even if this last one left her with a barely functioning arm.

She slumped to her side as the pain wracked her body. "Beaten again," she growled to herself. "The next time I find that bastard, I'll kick his ass." She looked up at the strange, eight-handed girl before her. "And who the hell are you?" she exclaimed.

The girl smiled at her, fangs glinting. "My name is Niid," she said. "And you are Aelia Alwyn." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah, I'm Aelia," Aelia said, glaring at the girl. Aelia had to admit that she was fascinating to look at. She had a normal pair of arms that attached to her shoulders, but three more pairs sprouted out of her back at even intervals. The girl was ghost-white and her fangs were fat and looked less sharp than venomous. She was wearing a black dress that didn't seem practical, but she could probably fight in it. And she could shoot threads from her mouth, apparently. It was all very interesting.

Niid caught Aelia's gaze. "You are staring at me," she said.

"Yeah," Aelia muttered. "You're a lot to take in." Niid smiled, showing off the fangs in more detail. They were indeed glistening with something; probably poison. Aelia noticed that Fang was bearing his teeth at the girl, and scowled at him. She shifted, and a few flecks of her blood splattered his fur.

"Well, it was nice talking with you, but I'm going to go inside before I bleed to death," Aelia muttered. She started to head for the door, but the girl caught up to her in seconds and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Allow me," she said, parting her lips. She lifted what remained of Aelia Alwyn's arm and a tiny white thread shot from between her teeth. Aelia shivered as it came in contact with her lacerated flesh. Niid worked quickly and efficiently, completely coating Aelia's arm with the thread. Wherever the thread touched, Aelia's pain dulled to a quiet murmur. She didn't think she'd bleed through the makeshift bandage, and when she touched it with her free hand it felt moist and springy.

"Alright," she said slowly. "So you just saved me from a bloody death. Why?" Niid's four shoulders shrugged. It was pretty cool to watch.

"I must talk to you," Niid said. "Not with the others. Alone. The Good Doctor sent me."

Aelia stiffened. "The Good Doctor? Are you talking about _Dr. Busk_?"

Niid nodded thoughtfully. "That is what you humans call him, yes," she agreed, blue eyes dancing. Aelia's narrowed in suspicion.

"I hate that creep," she muttered to herself. "Alright. So you're not human." Niid nodded. "What are you, then? A chimera?"

Niid laughed. "No, no," she said. "The Good Doctor tired of making chimeras many years ago. Too simple; you know?" She fixed Aelia with a smug stare. "So he created me," she said. "The first of the amalgams." Her smile grew, if possible, wider.

In contrast, Aelia's scowl grew more pronounced. "Amalgams? What the hell is an amalgam?"

"You know what a chimera is; correct?" Aelia nodded, and Niid continued. "For much time now, the Good Doctor has known how to create a chimera from a human being and an animal," she said. "But he was getting nowhere with these experiments. They all turned out the same; a human with enhanced abilities. But the Good Doctor wanted more. And so, instead of only using one lone human, the Good Doctor though that perhaps he could use more."

Aelia stiffened in horror. "So you're…"

"A complete composite," Niid said. "I am made of the bodies of several Amestrian soldiers that you and your sisters killed, as well as the body of a spider."

"That's impossible," Aelia said stubbornly. "That's human transmutation."

"No," Niid said. "It is not. The Good Doctor was not trying to bring the humans back to life. All he was doing was tying the bodies together. My consciousness is artificial; created by the Doctor to suit his needs. He has done nothing wrong."

"… Oh," Aelia said. "In that case…" Her voice faded out. Beside her, Fang whined, sniffing at the girl. She looked down at him interestedly.

"Dr. Busk sends you a message," she said, kneeling down beside Fang. She reached out to him with one of her hands and drew back when he snapped at her. She pouted, and looked at Aelia. "He wants you to know that he _will _be watching," she said. "He also wants you to be aware that your sister was captured by the Amestrian military."

Aelia felt her blood turn to ice. "Which one?" she asked, horrified. "Rhea?"

Niid shook her head. "Eris, I believe," she said. Aelia groaned. Out of all her sisters, Eris was the most sympathetic. She'd secretly hoped they'd get Rhea first. Rhea _still _scared her shitless.

She sighed. "Fine, Niid. Tell him I understand."

"Yes," Niid said. "I will tell him that." She turned, two of her hands waving at Aelia. "Goodbye," she said. "Oh, and one other thing, before I leave."

"What's that?"

"Your dog," Niid said, without turning around. "I can feel the energy of the world, you know. The Good Doctor tells me it is because I am part spider that I feel this." She turned her head until she was looking at Aelia; her eyes gleamed. "Your dog is not a dog," she confided. "It has much greater power than that." She turned to look at the suddenly uncomfortable Fang. "A homunculus, I believe it is called? Yes. A homunculus." She waved with one hand before striding away in the direction Scar had gone, leaving behind a phenomenally confused Aelia Alwyn.

She stared after the girl for a while. "A homunculus, huh?" she said at last. "Well, 'Fang'?" She turned to the dog and narrowed her eyes. "_Well_?"

For a moment, nothing happened, and a tiny part of her dismissed Niid's claim as utter nonsense. Then her oh so beloved pet was surrounded by red light. In seconds, the dog had transformed into the shape of a green-haired boy crouched on the pavement. His eyes were the same violet color as her own, and he had a derisive sneer on his face. "Well," he said, getting up and looking after the girl. "I guess that bitch blew my cover."

"You change shapes."

"Obviously, genius!" The boy snorted. "You're not very smart, are you?" Aelia ground her teeth.

"Who the hell are you?" she asked, stepping forward. "And how the hell can you do that?"

The boy looked confused. "What, change shapes?" He shrugged. "Easy. I'm a homunculus, moron. I can do anything." He grinned crookedly.

Aelia was suspicious. "Anything? Really. Well then, is it possible for you to tell me who you are? Because I'm still waiting."

The boy looked at her oddly. "Envy. My name's Envy," he said.

"Oh," she replied. "Well, it's been fun, but I think I'm going to go inside now and tell everyone that my dog is talking to me…" She turned around and blinked as Envy shot forward and stood in front of the door. He grinned easily at her.

"No you're not," he said. She frowned.

"Yes I am," she replied, stepping forward. Envy stuck out his palm out and she walked into it. His hand pressed against her injured stomach, and she winced. His smile grew wider.

"No," he said, shoving her back suddenly, "you're _not_." She fell back over the steps, and landed painfully on the pavement, her head cracking against the stone.

"What the hell?" she managed, as Envy jumped on top of her, pinning her to the ground. He grinned.

"Change of plans," he said. "Now that you know who I am, I can't really let you go free. You understand." He snagged the front of her shirt and lifted her until their noses were touching. "I guess I'm going to have to take you with me."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Aelia said. "You honestly think you can make me do something you want?" She laughed. "Good luck, homunculus. I'll beat the shit out of you."

"Just like you beat the shit out of Scar, right?" Envy asked triumphantly. She ground her teeth.

"Shut up and get off me," she snarled. "Like it or not, I'm not going with you. The Fuhrer himself ordered me to stay with Ed and Al, and I'm not about to ignore him."

Envy threw his head back and laughed. "Wow, you're dumb," he said. "The Fuhrer? Don't make me laugh. That's _Pride_, you idiot."

"Pride?"

"Yeah," Envy said. "He's a homunculus too. Why else did you think he would make you stick with Ed and Al?" His smile grew. "It was to make things easier for me, so I could tail you."

"Tail me? What?" She tried to shove the homunculus off her but only managed to thud back to the pavement. "Why would he want you to tail me?"

Envy smiled. "I could tell you," he said, "if you shut up and quit wriggling." He froze suddenly, as though he could hear something Aelia couldn't. "They're coming outside in a minute," he exclaimed. "Let's go."

"I'm not going _anywhere _with you…" Aelia began, but was cut off as Envy grasped her face in both hands. "What are you doing…" she began nervously, and was cut off again as Envy slammed her head backwards into the concrete. "_Shit_," she mumbled, sight suddenly swirling. Envy's triumphant face above her began to dissolve into threads of light, and the last thing she felt before falling into unconsciousness was Envy grasping her around the shoulders…

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><p>The Crimson Alchemist had seen a lot in his day, but what he was seeing now was pretty interesting.<p>

They'd brought a girl in. Kicking, screaming, threatening to kill them all; the works. She reminded him of himself at her age; she looked to be around fourteen. And the most exciting thing about the whole deal was that they'd put her in the cell next to his own.

He was so bored. Who wouldn't be, trapped in a prison for the remainder of his life? His wrists had been chafed into numbness from the ever-present handcuffs, and his voice was hoarse; he didn't use it so much anymore. Sometimes he talked to himself. But now there was someone else to converse with.

He'd discovered the little hole a few years ago, when someone who called himself "Barry the Chopper" had been in the cell next door. Kimblee sniffed. Stupid, unoriginal name. He'd heard Barry laughing, screaming, crying; but not through the cell doors; through a small hole in the cell that connected them together. He hadn't been interested in chatting with Barry (he was a useless serial killer; didn't even understand the joy of explosions) and had been quite glad after Barry's execution.

The new girl seemed much more interesting.

He waited for at least an hour before getting on his knees and crawling to the hole. "Hello," he rasped. For a moment, there was silence on the other side, and he heard someone moving.

"Hello?" a female voice whispered back. "Who are you?"

"The Crimson Alchemist," Kimblee whispered back. "How about you?"

"Eris Alwyn," the girl replied. Kimblee's eyes widened.

"I know about you," he said. "You're one of the Alwyn sisters." A smile graced his features. "What do you think of explosions?"

There was a pause. "I don't know," the girl admitted. "I've never _caused _one before, if that's what you're asking. But I suppose they're useful in terms of disposing your enemies."

"Exactly," Kimblee replied, shivers of pleasure running up and down his body. "Explosions. Death. Blood!" He began to laugh maniacally, shaking his handcuffs. "You and I are the same, Eris," he giggled. "You must know how it feels to love watching them die."

Another pause. "Are you crazy, Mr. Kimblee?"

Kimblee nodded, although she couldn't see him. "Of course," he said. "Are you?"

"I don't think so," she replied. He felt a pang of disappointment, but shoved it away.

"Very well," he replied. "You and I will keep in touch." He heard her shouting his name but moved away from the hole, effectively ending the conversation.

He smiled. _Looks like things aren't going to be so boring anymore, _he thought, and giggled in the dark.


	6. Love Your Enemies

**Hey guys! I wanted to thank everyone who reviewed, like always. So... thanks you guys! You rock! Seriously!**

**Warning: this chapter is angsty and Envy is really, really mean to Aelia. He'll get nicer later (otherwise this would be a really weird romance) but since he's, you know, EVIL, I thought I'd make him a total bitch for a few chapters or so.**

**Also... Niid has a Russian accent. Not quite sure why that's relevant. I just thought I'd put it out there.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Waking up to the taste of blood in your mouth is never a good thing, Aelia mused. Especially since the last thing you remember is being knocked senseless by a jerk of a boy who apparently isn't human.<p>

Yes, she was having a kind of terrible day.

She opened her eyes and realized that it was day at all. She was staring up at the velvety black sky. It seemed tantalizingly close, but she doubted her ability to move her arm. The fact of the matter was that it was hard as a club, encased in the threads Niid had wrapped around it. She had no idea how she was going to get the threads off, and no idea what would be waiting under the wrapping when she did. Definitely not anything pretty.

She sat up and groaned as the night sky swirled until she was flat on her back again. She was incredibly dizzy; she probably had a concussion because of her head being smashed into the ground. She growled. _When I get my hands on Envy he'll regret that… Of course, being able to stand would be nice._

She tried to bite back a groan but failed, and in the next instance she became aware that Envy was sitting on her chest. She scowled at him, but merely opening her eyes greater than a squint made her dizzy beyond belief. She was totally helpless.

"Morning, sunshine," Envy said. She snarled, and the boy smirked at her. "Don't give me that," he said. "I spent all day lugging you around, and I even found some high-quality rope to tie you up with, and now you're snarling at me? Typical human."

"Where… are… we?" Aelia muttered, shutting her eyes completely. Her arm throbbed, her head ached, and she was in no mood to play games with the homunculus. She felt his weight shifting, and suddenly there was a sharp pain across her face. He'd smacked her.

"Keep your eyes open when you talk to me," he commanded. "If you fall asleep when we're having a conversation, I'll kill you." It was the lightness of his tone that conveyed to her just how serious he was.

Blearily, she dragged her eyes open. The world was swimming above her, but she could make out the homunculus' face. He was smirking again, openly now that he saw that she'd obeyed him. "As for where we are," he said, "we're at the edge of town. See for yourself."

"I'd like to," Aelia managed, "but you concussed me. I can barely move." An expression of annoyance clouded Envy's features.

"Oh," he said. "You're hurt." He sighed deeply. "I guess now I'm going to have to get somebody to fix you." He rolled his eyes. "Honestly. That's just annoying."

"Well, I'm sorry for being injured when you _slammed my head into the ground_," Aelia snapped. She couldn't help herself; this homunculus was seriously getting on her nerves. Time to show him what a bad idea it had been to take her on.

She shifted slightly, just enough for her working arm to flop onto the destroyed one. It was completely bound in Niid's silk, it was true, but there was still blood there. And blood had water in it. Oh, he was going to regret this.

She pressed one hand lightly against the other, feeling the familiar alchemy kicking in. Before Envy even had a chance to move, the wrappings on her arm had exploded in a shower of bloody scraps. She winced; realizing that some of her flesh had torn as well, but now wasn't the time for misgivings. The blood shot directly into Envy's face and he fell over backwards, clawing at his eyes.

Aelia scrambled to her feet doggedly, turning around and looking for a way out. Her head swam, and the streets around her danced. She could feel gravity pulling her back down and slammed into the ground with her shoulder; pricks of pain lancing up her arm. She pushed herself forward futilely with a foot, already feeling the icy grip of the homunculus' fingers around her ankle. Escaping was useless and she went limp against the concrete. The world was spinning in lazy, looping circles. Dimly, she felt herself retching; blood and bile streamed from her parted lips. Mentally she sighed as she felt a hand grasping her hair, and then Envy was tossing her over his shoulder.

"Alright," he said. "Marcoh should have been taken into custody by now. I'm taking you to him." _No, _she wanted to say, but every time she opened her mouth blood and vomit kept her from speaking. Apparently she hadn't healed from Scar's initial attacks after all. _The bastard knows just how to get to me… _

Her whole body felt like lead. Resisting Envy was going to take too much energy. She just couldn't do it.

The darkness took her, and she fell away into oblivion.

* * *

><p>This time, her waking was accompanied by a flash of red.<p>

She didn't know how long she'd been out, but by the feel of her body, it had been a while. She breathed in deeply through her nose, trying not to black out again. She didn't feel any pain, but it was quite possible that it was coming.

"So, is she alive, doc?" She recognized the sarcastic voice as Envy, and gritted her teeth, frowning.

"I believe so," an older voice replied. "But let me just make sure…" She felt a wrinkled hand pressing against her neck, gauging the steady beat of life that thrummed from her veins. "Yes," the man said, without hesitation. "She's alive. And conscious, I think."

"You're right, unfortunately," Aelia admitted, opening her eyes dazedly. The tired face of Marcoh swam into focus, with the tip of Envy's green hair waving tantalizingly in the corner of her vision. Slowly, she sat up, realizing that she was no longer dizzy. Her arm felt tingly, and when she looked at it she was delighted to discover that it was whole again, as though that asshole Scar had never shredded it in the first place.

"Did you do this?" she asked the doctor, looking at him. He nodded; opening his palm to reveal a blood-red stone nestled in his palm.

"It's not much," he said, in return to her questioning look, "but a Red Stone has quite enough energy to heal a few simple injuries." Aelia nodded grimly.

"I suppose I should thank you," she said after a slight pause. "Thank you." Marcoh cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"He made me," he said abruptly, jabbing a finger at Envy, who gave her a sarcastic wave. "He said if I didn't help you, he'd kill me… What's going on? What's going to happen to me?"

"I don't know," Aelia said darkly, gaze not leaving Envy's violet eyes. "Why don't you enlighten us, Envy?"

Envy shrugged. "Well," he said. "Right now we're in a room in Central Command. You," he said, pointing at Aelia, "are coming with me. You're staying here," he told Marcoh.

Marcoh's jaw dropped. "What?" he exclaimed, rising to his feet. "You told me if I cooperated you'd let me go! You told me-…" He was cut off as Envy's arm elongated and wrapped around his throat. He pressed down and Marcoh's face went purple. He clawed at Envy's arm, but the homunculus seemed unaffected.

Envy yanked his arm back, pulling Marcoh to his knees in front of him. "Don't push me, old man," he snarled, before releasing Marcoh. The man fell to the ground, tears forming in his eyes. He gave a watery cough and shuddered.

Envy jabbed a finger at Aelia. "Get up," he snapped. "We're going to talk to Pride."

"Don't you mean Fuhrer Bradley?" Aelia asked, getting to her feet. Envy glared.

"I said Pride, and I meant it," he responded. His arm began to elongate, and in one fell swoop it wrapped around her waist and pulled her over to Envy. She growled as she realized that she was pressed up against the Sin's side, his dark hair brushing against her shoulders.

"Let me go," she demanded, but he ignored her, grip tightening around her waist.

"Hell no," he said. "You're too slippery to just let go. Now we're going to talk to Pride, and if you try to escape, I'll kill you."

"Fine," she said shortly. Envy seemed satisfied with her answer, because he looked away as they exited the room, shutting Marcoh in behind them. Aelia recognized the place immediately; last time she'd been here Colonel Mustang had been escorting her with her arms cuffed behind her back. This time wasn't much different.

They were in the Fuhrer's private corridor, and Aelia could already see the grand oak doors that led to Pride's office. A wave of revulsion crawled through her. _This whole country is a lie, _she thought. _And I wanted to be normal. Hah. Isn't it sad that things just get weirder the harder I try for normalcy?_

Envy pushed open one of the doors, transferring his hand to the small of Aelia's back. As the doors opened he shoved her, hard, and she stumbled into Pride's office feeling like an idiot.

The Fuhrer President looked up at her approach and raised an eyebrow. "Awake, are we?" he asked, looking her up and down. "I must say that you look a lot better now that Marcoh's dealt with you."

"Glad to hear it, sir," Aelia said. She couldn't help herself; the creature in front of her was still Fuhrer President King Bradley, no matter how hard she tried to convince herself that he wasn't even human. A faint smile tugged at the corners of the President's mouth.

"Have a seat," he suggested, and Aelia did just that, grateful that she at least wasn't bound this time. Envy wandered over to the desk and sat on the edge, crossing his legs and looking bored. Pride grimaced, and Aelia felt a pang of sympathy. No matter what side you were on, Envy was annoying.

"Let's begin, shall we?" Pride asked, lacing his fingers and leaning forward. "At this moment in time, Aelia Alwyn, you are at best dead weight, and at worst a liability. Tell us everything you know; leave something out and Envy will kill you."

Aelia swallowed. "Alright," she said simply. "What do you want to know?"

Pride studied her for a moment. "You're strange, for a human," he said. "Most of the humans I've dealt with in the past would have spat in my face and taken the consequences."

Aelia smiled. "I'm not the typical human," she said simply. "And I'd rather that Envy didn't kill me. Besides, I don't really see a point in not telling you whatever it is you want to hear. If I don't, I'll die." Her smile grew sharp. "I think I can serve the world a lot better alive."

Pride let out a great booming laugh, and Aelia knew that she was playing the game well. "Very good, Miss Alwyn," Pride chuckled. "Serving the world, indeed." His one eye gleamed. "Now, Miss Alwyn, let's begin… Why did you abandon your sisters?"

The question was not one Aelia was particularly keen on answering. The very words brought her back to a hot, dusty night, a transmutation circle, and a choice. Thinking back, she realized that maybe she'd chosen the wrong thing. But it was too late for all of that now.

She realized that Pride and Envy were staring at her intently, waiting for her answer. She sighed, tracing the transmutation circles on her palms. "My sister wanted me to do something for her," she began. "Rhea. She didn't think I seemed loyal enough, and she wanted to test me…

"Our mother was pregnant again. Our youngest sister, Saia, had been begging for a little sister, and Rhea was only too happy to agree. Well, it took nine months, obviously, but Rhea got her baby." She paused for breath. "Only it wasn't what she wanted at all.

"It was a boy. She didn't want a boy, she wanted a _girl_. The last time Rhea had gotten a boy had been when I was around three, and I still remember what she did to it. She left it alone in the desert, to get eaten by some wild animal or to starve. I don't know.

"Anyway, I'm pretty sure that's what she was going to do with this one, but she had a better idea. I'd been acting weird lately; I'd already begun to get sick of the life we had- I wanted something normal even then. And Rhea couldn't afford to have me go. Out of the four of us, Rhea and my attacks are the most crushingly powerful. She didn't want to give me up, and so she decided on one final test to prove my loyalty forever.

"She had me kill it. My own baby brother."

Her eyes were dry, but her insides were torn up. Every time she thought about it, she wanted to cry but she couldn't. Aelia Alwyn never cried.

"I drowned it," she admitted, staring at Pride's blood-red carpet. "I used my alchemy to create a sort of blanket of water, and I just wrapped it around the baby's head. It was a small baby; it didn't last very long."

She looked up at the two homunculi. Neither of them seemed particularly disturbed by her story, and she felt strangely at ease for a moment. _No human could ever understand, but they don't even mind. I wish I were a homunculus._

It was an errant thought, but an intriguing one. What could homunculi do, exactly? She made a mental note to find out later, if she survived this conversation.

"And that's why I left them," she finished. "It was a few weeks after that. I just couldn't bear to look at them anymore." Her tone was light, but inside she was shaking uncontrollably.

"Alright," Pride said, after a moment. "And why does Rhea hate the military? What have they done to her?"

"I don't know," Aelia said. "She never told us. I know _something _happened to her before I was born, but what it was she never said." _That's the truth, homunculus, so if you kill me for not knowing the answer I'm going to be mad._

Pride nodded gravely. "You know, the Fullmetal Alchemist is very worried about you." The statement and its tone caught her off guard, which is what Pride had probably intended.

"Worried about me?" she asked, suspicious. "Doesn't he hate me?"

"Oh, yes," the homunculus said. "He loathes you. Which is why the first thing he did after getting back from the god-forsaken town you picked up Marcoh in was storm into my office to alert me to the fact that you'd escaped his custody."

Aelia glared at Envy. "Congratulations Envy," she grumbled. "You've just made me a new enemy."

He shrugged. "You and the Fullmetal Alchemist never could have been allies anyway." A sadistic smile contorted his features. "He's spent his whole precious life trying to help his baby brother, and you actually killed your own." There was a tone in his voice that suggested as though he'd approved of her decision, strangely enough. The bastard.

"Now, Miss Alwyn," Pride said. "There's only one question left. What are we going to do with you?"

Aelia leveled her eyes at him. "Not kill me," she said. "I don't really care what else you do."

Pride made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat and leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest. He appeared to be deep in thought. "…Alright," he said, finally. "You don't want to die? Fine. Our mistress can always use a new human pawn."

She sighed. "A pawn?" she asked. "You want me to work with you?" Pride's shoulders rose fractionally in an elegant shrug.

"I don't see why not," he said. "I am quite certain that you will prove very useful to us, Aelia Alwyn." He looked over at Envy, who was now tossing a paperweight in the air and catching it with his elongated tongue before tossing it up again. "It looks like we've found you a partner, Envy."

Envy's jaw dropped and the paperweight fell through his teeth, lodging in his throat. "Ack!" he groaned, falling off the desk. He snapped open his mouth and stuck his entire arm inside, rooting around until he grasped the slime-covered paperweight. He slapped it on a pile of Pride's papers and got to his feet, glaring at Aelia. "No way," he said. "I'm not going to be a babysitter."

"You've been doing it this long, haven't you?" Pride asked. "Think of her as an ally. That might make it easier."

Envy scowled. "She's _human_," he growled. "I hate humans."

Pride's gaze turned cold. "I don't really give a damn, Envy," he snapped. "She's a useful tool, and if we let her go we lose her for good. You keep her from escaping, and things will work out nicely."

Envy glared at Pride for a moment before turning to Aelia. He reached out, grasping her by the throat; not enough to choke her, but she could feel the strength in his hand and knew that he could, if he wanted to. "I hate you," he told her, before dropping her back in her seat. He moped all the way to Pride's desk before picking up the slimy paperweight and tossing it into the air again.

Pride watched, expressionless. "There's a book that has to be destroyed," he said, breaking into the silence. "Ordinarily Lust would do something like this, but she's south, watching over Rhea and Saia. I pulled Sloth, by the way. She's my secretary again."

"Fine," Envy said. "I'll get rid of your damn book. What's it called?"

"The title doesn't matter," Pride said smoothly. "What's important is that it was written by Tim Marcoh." Envy rolled his eyes and got to his feet, heading towards the door, but Pride held out a hand.

"Don't forget your human," he said, smiling viciously. Envy stiffened.

"Come," he said, not turning around. Aelia felt a pang of anger at being addressed like a dog, but then again, she'd been treating Envy like one for as long as she'd known him. Of course, he'd been disguised as a dog back then, but it was sort of the same.

_I survived, _she thought. _Well, that's surprising. _

_Of course, I'm stuck with that nutcase Envy now. That can't be good. And I'm working with the homunculi. I'll admit I didn't see that one coming._

_Life just keeps on getting better and better, doesn't it?_

* * *

><p>Eris was working on a way out.<p>

_It's not that hard, _she mused, scraping her wrists against the rocky outcrop on her cell wall for the umpteenth time. _Escaping, that is. It should be a breeze. Of course, it's been hours, and I'm still here, but I'm working on it._

She scraped again, and she winced as the rock cut her skin instead of her handcuffs. The authorities who had tossed her in here should have planned things out a bit more. The walls were perfectly smooth, save the little outcrop she was next to now, and the indentation through which she could talk to Kimblee.

She shuddered briefly. The man was insane. Apparently he'd gone on a little killing spree after Ishbal, which had landed him in here. He liked to talk about it, and about the joys of killing. Eris didn't find any joys in killing. It was just something that had to be done.

Of course, now that she was stuck in here, she didn't have to do anything except wait for her execution, which she was sure was coming. And try to escape, of course. And, a few hours into trying, she was beginning to make some serious progress.

She was never going to be able to break the handcuffs, of course. They were much too strong for her. But she'd discovered a weak link in their rigidity that allowed the metal to bend ever so slightly. After a few hours of bashing this imperfection against her rock, she was close to being able to press her palms together.

And once she could do that, she was free.

She sighed and lifter her arms above her head. They were straining with the exertion of hours of work, but she had to admit that she was excited, so excited that the ache seemed minimal. She was almost done, and then she'd be out. She could wreak havoc at will, with Mr. Kimblee at her side, of course.

There was no way she'd be leaving him behind. He was her only friend in this place, and she sorely needed a friend. Also, the fact that he could explode things was pretty cool, and very useful.

She let gravity take her arms and slammed them into the rock a final time. She could tell immediately that this time was different. The force of her blow had knocked the outcrop off the wall completely; it lay crumpled at her feet. And her hands… She felt the rough palms pressed together and she knew that she'd won.

It wasn't much of a clap, but when she pressed her hands against the walls separating her and Kimblee, they parted easily and she knew that she had alchemy at her disposal again. The next clap served to break the bonds around her wrists. She got to her feet, looking up into the dark confines of Kimblee's cell. She could see the hunched shape of a man sitting on the bed. His head swiveled to look at her; filthy black hair swinging gently in the non-existent breeze.

"Hello, Mr. Kimblee," she said.

He looked at her. "Good work," he said, after a moment. "You managed to break your handcuffs." He reached out, producing his. "Break them for me?"

Eris nodded, clapping her hands and pressing them to Kimblee's handcuffs. With a metallic clank, they exploded into a shower of metal fragments and fell to the floor of the cell. Kimblee yawned, stretching luxuriously like a cat.

"Thank you, Eris," he said, hands reaching out and arranging his hair behind his head in a semblance of neatness. Both of them turned to look at the door, rubbing their palms together maliciously.

Central Command wouldn't know what had happened until they were long gone.

* * *

><p>It was night out, Aelia realized, walking after Envy. <em>I really should be asleep, but I don't do that anyway.<em>

Envy was walking in front of her with hunched shoulders and a totally hostile demeanor. She was about as interested in talking to him as he was in talking to her, and so the two hadn't exchanged a single word, apart from a few colorful threats from Envy about what would happen to her if she tried to escape. Well, Aelia Alwyn was done with all of this. It was official. Her life would never, ever be normal.

So maybe working with the homunculi wasn't a bad idea, even if she still didn't know what the hell they wanted.

She hurried until she was walking next to Envy. He gave her a customary glare but otherwise ignored her. _Well, that's fine, _she thought. _It's not as if I wanted to talk anyway. _

She recognized the route they were taking; they were going to the library where Ed and Al had taken her before she'd been attacked by Scar. She felt a pang of guilt; whatever this book was, it was clear that Ed wasn't supposed to have it. And, up until recently, anyway, she and Ed had been working together. Nobody liked the person who switched sides. Of course, she hadn't exactly had a choice in the matter, but she doubted that Ed would see it that way if he ever found out that she had been the one to steal his precious book.

Envy halted on the steps in front of the library and Aelia instinctively did too. The homunculus looked up at the silent, hulking building, frowning slightly. He turned to look at Aelia. "I don't suppose you can get in there?" he asked.

She shook her head in response, and he scowled. "Typical," he growled. "You humans are pathetic." He stepped closer to her and was surrounded by a red light for an instant before a massive, green-scaled, monstrous _thing _replaced the green-haired boy.

"Wow," Aelia said. The Envy-dragon narrowed its eyes at her.

"Shut up and get on my back," he hissed. "Talk to me again like my equal and I'll rip your tongue out." Aelia shrugged. _Some people. _Stepping lightly, she walked across the concrete to where Envy's massive head lay on the pavement. He was tall as a dragon, but she managed to grip his scales and drag herself up.

Before she even had a firm hold Envy reared up, moving towards one of the windows. He wasn't flying, but his trunk was long enough to reach the second-story windows with ease. Aelia blinked as he pressed his snout against one of the windows and shivered all over, as though warning her to get off before he shook her.

She cautiously let go of his scales and got to her feet, traversing his head until she reached the frame. It was a think frame; barely thicker than the sole of her foot, and as soon as she stepped on Envy pulled away, falling back down to the earth and leaving her stuck on a windowsill. She shivered and tried her best not to move. Somehow she doubted that the homunculus would catch her if she fell.

She heard wings beating the air, and a dark hawk settled next to her on the sill. It was surrounded by a now-familiar red light, and Envy burst into being, startling Aelia enough to fall off the sill.

Without even looking at her, his hand reached out and grasped her by the shirt, keeping her from falling to a very painful death. "Can't even keep your balance," Envy noted, hauling her back up. "Impressive." He turned to look at her, fury radiating from his violet eyes.

"Just stay still for a moment, if it's possible for you," he growled, letting go of her sweater. He drew back a fist and punched it through the glass, reaching in and flipping the lock that kept the window shut. He withdrew his hand and knelt, heaving at the window. It slid upwards easily, and Aelia let gravity drag her through the window without a second thought.

She fell on her head, pretty much. A little bit of shoulder separated her head and the floor, but it was awfully close. Envy hopped through the window, stepping over her prone form uninterestedly.

"Come," he said again, and to her annoyance she did what he told her.

She got to her feet and trotted after the homunculus, looking at the silent spines of books surrounding her on every side. A memory startled her, and she stopped. "Envy?" she asked. "Did you talk to me here once before? You looked like someone else, but apparently you can do that…"

Envy looked back at her. "What did I tell you about not talking to me?" he snarled, slapping her hard across the face. "Keep your damn mouth shut!"

She stared at his retreating form ruefully, rubbing her injured cheek. _The bastard… He really seems to hate me. I wonder why…_

She realized that he'd hopped onto a table, and was now tapping his foot impatiently, waiting for her to catch up. She sped up, and as she did Envy hopped off the table, grabbing her by the arm and swinging her into a chair. "Stay," he ordered, before hurrying off through the aisles of books and leaving her alone.

She glowered. _Damn homunculus… If I try to escape he'll know, I bet. And I swear to Leto that I'm going to freak out next time he treats me like a dog. I don't know if he notices that he only speaks to me in commands, but it's really annoying._

She sighed, tapping her fingers lightly against the table. The darkness pressed against her as though it was a tangible thing, and she absently smoothed her thick hair, tapping her foot.

"Well, this is boring," she said aloud, and heard something fall.

She was out of the chair in an instant, staring in the direction the noise had come from. She opened her mouth to issue a challenge, but the mystery person beat her to it. "Who's there?" She froze, realization stabbing her like a knife.

"You can't be serious," she groaned.

"I know that voice…"

"Of course you know it," Aelia said. "We've fought twice already!" Her hands balled into fists. "But I'm gonna win this time, Scar." She could hear him sigh.

He stepped out of the shadows quietly and looked at her. He wasn't wearing his sunglasses for once, and his eyes were blood-red. Blood-red… "Well, that's interesting. You're an Ishbalan?"

He nodded tightly. "Let's just get on with it," he said. "You seem to have an annoying habit of turning up when I have no interest in fighting you."

"I could say the same for you," Aelia said, stepping closer. Her eyes flashed. "Let's end this, Scar." He nodded, she nodded, and simultaneously they lunged.


	7. The Early Bird

**Hey guys!**

**This chapter took a long time to get out, I know. Three weeks... In my defense, I've had a lot of homework. But from now on, I'm going to do my best to get every chapter out at least once every two weeks. :3**

**Hope you enjoy the chapter! Also... Vainglory is a real sin; Wikipedia said so. Yeah. Try and guess what I mean by that. Shouldn't be too hard... heh heh heh.**

* * *

><p>They'd told him that his sisters were never coming back. Andrew still remembered how often they'd told him. He'd wept, raged, cried and screamed, but the fact of the matter was that his sisters were dead, and they were going to remain so, for forever, apparently.<p>

But Andrew hadn't been interested in waiting forever. He was an alchemist. What kind of alchemist waited for something that would never happen? Yes, he knew it was taboo, but his sisters were more important than any alchemical law. He was going to bring them back.

The ingredients lay in a shallow urn in the center of an intricate transmutation circle that Andrew had designed himself. His finger throbbed from where he'd slashed it to draw blood, and he vaguely wondered if Sasha and Bennet would come back smashed flat, as they'd been by the time the train finally stopped rolling. It had gone completely off the tracks and smashed against the ground, killing his sisters as they returned from a holiday in Central. He'd stayed home; they'd been visiting their girly friends or something. He'd gotten condolences from one of them, a girl named Sheska who was apparently Bennet's best friend, but he'd thrown it into the fire. Sometimes being fifteen and immature enough to ignore letters was an advantage.

Andrew took a deep breath, smoothing his blonde hair with sweaty palms. This was it, the moment of truth. He was going to bring them back; both of them. He'd see them again. A smile stretched across his face, and his eyes glistened. "Love you, see you soon," he said, and clapped his hands together.

* * *

><p>Even before his eyes fluttered open, he could smell blood. And there was a strange numbness from his torso… There was a sudden throb of a deep, panicky pain, and Andrew flipped over and vomited, eyes snapping to attention.<p>

Blood was slick around him, splattered over the tiles of the basement floor. He gasped in horror and vomited again, tears of sudden pain streaking down his cheeks. He tried to move a hand, an arm, but nothing happened. Looking down at his torso, he realized why.

Both arms were gone, and it didn't take a genius to know who'd taken them. Andrew howled in pain and fell onto his back, kicking his legs in his own blood and screaming himself hoarse. His closest neighbor was just close enough that she might notice that something was wrong, but Lila was usually asleep at dawn, and she could sleep through anything. He was alone.

"Sasha!" he sobbed, kicking and giving another shrill scream. "_Sasha! Bennet!" _

If he listened, he could hear the faint sound of breathing. A wave of relief washed over him before being blotted out by a wave of pain so intense he felt his heart flutter. "No!" he gasped, flipping over and moving towards the sound of breathing. _"No! Oh God, no!"_

He felt his cheek pressing up against something cool and wet, and then something heavy thudded onto his back. He looked up with eyes dulled by pain, and screamed. He'd brought them back. But they were ruined, beyond repair. "What did I do?"

Sasha's golden hair fanned out behind an emaciated skull. Her jaws moved sporadically, churning up Andrew's blood, and she only had one massive eye that flitted from place to place seemingly at random. Her body was skeletal and looked unfinished and new, the skin still only half-formed. She seemed to be missing a few important bone structures, and the bones she did have were so incredibly thin that Andrew knew touching them could prove to be fatal.

Bennet was worse. Her head was tiny and stuck on a long neck that twitched on occasion. Her skin was a sickly green-ish color, and her arms weren't even complete, as she jerked one of them fell open, revealing a neat little package of bone and red greasy muscle. Her legs were twisted together and seemed rubbery, and they slid across each other like snakes.

Andrew's head hit the tile, and he felt the Sasha-creature's skeletal hand grasping the hem of his shirt. He screamed and wriggled away, thrashing in a pool of his own blood. The creature's arm thudded to the floor, and its eye fixed on him, jaw slowing until it stopped entirely. To his supreme horror, it shifted legs so skinny they could never hold it and slid forward a few centimeters before pausing, repositioning its legs, and moving forward again.

"_Keep away!" _he screamed, rolling hard and whimpering as he felt himself thud into something sharp. Unwillingly he glanced at his torso to see the point of a black shoe embedded in his side. "Wha?" he gasped, and his blue eyes widened as someone grabbed his collar and pulled him off the floor.

"Can I eat him, Lust? Can I?"

"Alright," the woman who was grasping his collar said, eyes never leaving his. "He's useless to us." She dropped his collar and he thudded onto the blood-slicked ground, gasping in pain. He whimpered again as a disgustingly fat _thing _waddled forward, reaching out for him. His heart began to thump wildly as it grasped his torso with pudgy fingers, pulling him up from the floor.

The thing froze suddenly, as did the woman. Both of them whipped around simultaneously, and Andrew was dropped to the floor again.

"Well, well, well," a voice said, and a man stepped into the room. "I thought I heard screaming." He had black hair that came down to his chin and glasses, and a strange smile was stretched across his face. He looked past Andrew and his grin grew more distinct. "Well, what do you know," he said. "Two homunculi."

The woman, (Lust, her name was?) laughed. "Don't think you'll be taking them, human," she said. "They're _mine_."

The man shook his head. "I only want one," he said, moving to go past Lust. Immediately one of her nails shot out, embedding deep inside his shoulder. He glanced at it for a moment before blood exploded from the wound and twisted in the air, hardening into a spear which stabbed Lust through the abdomen. She gasped and dropped her hand, and he walked past her and grabbed the Bennet-creature around the waist.

"No!" she gasped, slashing at him with her nails. The man glanced at his wound again and Lust dodged as the man's blood once again hardened into a spear. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Eat him, Gluttony," she snarled. "I want for there to be no trace." The fat little man; Gluttony, apparently, stepped forward, grinning like a maniac. Before he could even get close to the man with the glasses, he was speared through the head with the strange blood-spear the alchemist had transmuted. _How is that even possible? _Andrew thought, desperately. _He must be a master of alchemy! _

Gluttony stumbled back, howling, and the alchemist reached inside his mouth, grabbing his tongue. There was a flash of light, and Gluttony tumbled onto his back and was still.

Lust gasped. "What did you do to him, human?" she cried, taking a step forward. The alchemist glanced at her, and she froze.

"My name's Dr. Busk," he said. "_Not '_human.' As for what I did to him… Not much. I only shorted out his Red Stones." Lust's hand flew to her mouth, and she looked oddly scared. _Red Stones? What the heck is a Red Stone? _

"How?" Lust asked, taking a step back. Dr. Busk grinned.

"An old friend taught me how to do it," he said. "I think you remember her, her name's _Dante_." Lust's eyes were huge, and then a tight grin flitted across her face.

"I remember you," she said. "You were one of Dante's lovers. I didn't recognize you; you're much older now." She took a step forward, licking her lips. "You're still not bad looking, though…"

Dr. Busk laughed. "Same old Lust," he said. The Bennet-creature stirred on his shoulder, and he glanced at the open door. "I really have to go," he said. "And tell your master not to interfere with my work. It's upsetting." He moved for the door, and then stopped. "Right," he said. "Tell Aelia Alwyn I said hello."

"Alwyn?" Lust murmured. She glanced up and seemed to notice that Dr. Busk had slipped out of the open door. With a snarl, she trotted over to the Sasha- creature and picked it up. She moved to Gluttony's side, patting him on the stomach gently. "Gluttony? Gluttony?"

The humanoid creature moaned, and Lust rolled her eyes, reaching into a pocket in her skintight dress that Andrew hadn't noticed. Something glistened in her palm and she dropped it into Gluttony's open mouth. He snorted, and his eyes popped open, rolling around the cellar confusedly. Lust sighed. "We're going, Gluttony," she said. "Come." She turned and exited the cellar, still holding what was supposed to have been Sasha.

Gluttony glanced over at Andrew. "Bye," he said, turning and shambling away. Andrew held his breath, but neither of them returned.

_They forgot me, _he realized, as cold tendrils of pain dragged him into darkness. _I guess that means I win. Or does it? _His blood-slicked head thudded onto the ground, where it would stay until Lila found him, ten minutes later.

* * *

><p>Aelia took a step back and realized almost immediately that she was pressed against a railing.<p>

_Oh, shit, _she thought. _Man, I always get myself in the crappiest fights. I'm an idiot. _Scar was now cracking his knuckles, revealing his tattooed arm to her. She scowled at it. _What a bitch. Even if I challenged him, technically._

Scar lunged at her experimentally, and before she could change her mind she tipped herself over the railing and down towards the oak floor below. The air whistled past her ears and she flipped easily like a cat before slamming into the floor hard enough to buckle the wood beneath it. She grimaced. _Way to make me feel fat. _

Scar had already jumped over the now twisted railing, and Aelia balled her hands into fists. No water here; she was useless. It totally sucked to be useless. Maybe she would intentionally cut herself, but spraying Scar with her blood just didn't seem like it would have a powerful enough effect to actually help her. Plus, it seemed kind of pathetic.

Reaching backwards, her probing fingers encountered a book. She grasped the spine firmly and hurled it at her attacker, hitting him squarely in the forehead, surprisingly. As he swatted the book out of the way, she darted down one of the corridors of books. _There has got to be a water fountain around here somewhere. I mean, this is the lamest library in existence if there isn't._

She made no effort to conceal her pounding footsteps. Honestly, the last time Aelia had tried to hide from someone, she'd been playing hide and seek with her sisters, and she'd been caught in a record of two seconds flat. Saia had told her that her breathing was so loud it could have woken up Father Time, whatever that meant. Saia had always been a little strange.

Something exploded behind her, and she was hit in the small of the back with what felt like the corner of a fat book. She fell to her knees, gasping, and growled at the sight of an annoyingly smug-looking Scar standing behind her, reaching out to grasp her by the throat. "No!" she snapped, jumping just out of reach. "You're not going to explode my head today!"

"You seem to be uncharacteristically angry," Scar noted, stepping forward slowly now that she was in such a close proximity. "Why? Are you afraid of death?"

Aelia's eyes narrowed and she gritted her teeth, a low chuckle escaping her clenched jaw. "Are you kidding? I think it's the scariest thing in the world."

Scar raised an eyebrow. "How… cowardly of you," he said. "Being with God is nothing to be afraid of."

"Speak for yourself," Aelia muttered, taking another step backwards and tripping on a discarded book, to her chagrin. Scar took advantage of her sudden immobility, grabbing a clump of her dark hair and yanking her head back. She let out a tiny cry as his dark palm covered her face, blocking out the dim light of the library.

"Goodbye, girl," he began, but stopped suddenly, probably wondering why Aelia had started licking his palm. Before he could ponder it too much, she clapped her hands together and the saliva on her tongue elongated and hardened into a tiny spike that drove through Scar's palm and out the back of his hand. He gave a strangled exclamation and pulled away his hand, snapping her tiny blade, but it had served her well enough. She scrambled to her feet and took off down the row again. _Water… I need more water… And I need to run faster. God, I'm slow…_

"Stop running," Scar ordered. Aelia panted a laugh.

"No way!" she called back. "I'm not going to let you- oh crap; you're right behind me, aren't you?"

"Yes," Scar said, next to her ear. She flinched as his hand encircled her throat; not the one with the tattoo, but still dangerous. He squeezed slightly, and she flinched. _Oh crap. Oh crap, oh crap, oh… crap! I'm right next to a bathroom!_

A bathroom would be slightly more humiliating than a water fountain, but her neck was about to be snapped. This wasn't the time to be worrying about humiliations.

The bathroom door hung ajar, water no doubt flowing underneath its pristine tiles. It would have been better if Aelia could be _in_ the bathroom when she used her alchemy, but it was becoming hard to breathe. She didn't know if Scar was going to kill her or not, but he definitely wasn't going to let her go for a potty break.

"Take this, bastard," she choked, and clapped her hands together.

For a moment, nothing happened, and Aelia wondered if perhaps she'd miscalculated. And then there was a shuddering roar, and the taps in the bathroom exploded with water, and although the stalls were shut she had a feeling that water was coming out of the toilets too. Slightly disgusting, but if she wanted to survive she'd have to just go with it.

The water bypassed her completely and slammed into Scar. She felt the pressure around her neck cease, and heard a startled grunt from the serial killer as he was blown off of her. He collapsed in the center of a massive puddle of water, sopping wet and looking pissed. Aelia looked at him for a second, and punched the air with her fist.

"Finally!" she exclaimed. "I _told _you I'd win eventually!" He glowered at her, looking as though he were about to rise, but Aelia shook her head. "Uh-uh," she said, clapping her hands again. The water rose from its puddle, slamming into his chest and squashing him to the oaken floor of the library. "Try deconstructing _that_," Aelia said smugly, watching him attempt to rise. He glared at her, struggling against the gallons of water pressed against his chest.

"I don't need to deconstruct it," he said, pressing one palm against the ground. Aelia sucked in a breath and took a step forward, but it was too late; the wood underneath Scar buckled and was blown apart, a long splinter embedding itself in a shelf directly next to her cheek. Her water, with nothing to press against, tumbled through the hole in the floor after Scar, leaving her alone in the darkened library.

She sank to her haunches, massaging her neck. It was already fairly obvious that her throat was going to start hurting soon, and she wasn't in the mood for any more pain today. _I hate being injured, _she thought. _And it seems to happen to me a lot. I miss the military alchemists that I used to kill for Rhea; they were so easily disposed of._

A jolt of guilt immediately shivered down her spine, although she did her best to ignore it. _That was in the past. I have to live in the present now, or I'll get killed._

"What the hell is this?" Aelia sighed, looking up to see an angry-looking Envy glaring down at her, hands on his hips. "Did you not get what I told you to do? I said _stay_, dumbass!"

She frowned. "Scar," she said simply. "The serial killer. He attacked me."

Envy rolled his eyes. "Yeah, so?" His eyes glinted maliciously. "Looks like I'm going to have to punish you," he said.

The irrational anger Scar had just caused her bubbled up in her chest again. Envy stepped forward a pace and before she could stop herself she'd clenched her fist and socked him in the nose. There was a crunching sound, and blood spurted from underneath her pale fingers. Envy's violet eyes were wide with disbelief when she pulled away her bloody hand, wiping it busily on her now dirty green sweater. He put a hand to his nose, saw the blood, and stared at her, jaw hanging open. Aelia, on the other hand, watched him closely, cocking her head as the blood on his face seemed to be wiped away and his nose popped back into a normal shape, ceasing to be broken at all. _He can heal himself? What the hell _is _this thing?_

Envy's shocked face slowly morphed into a scowl. "You punched me," he sulked, glaring at her. "You threatened me," Aelia retorted, muscles tense in case he decided to attack her. Clearly, these homunculi were unpredictable, especially _this _homunculus.

"You're not afraid of me?" the homunculus asked, eyes glinting again.

She swallowed. "No," she said. Envy took one look at her face and burst out laughing. She felt a rush of heat to her cheeks. "Why are you laughing?" she snapped, looking away.

"You're the worst liar _ever_," Envy proclaimed. "Do you have a problem or something?"

Her lips thinned. "No," she said shortly, crossing her arms and looking anywhere but the green-haired menace smirking in front of her. She flinched slightly as said menace stepped forward until he was unfortunately close to her. Her palms began to sweat and she tried her best to control her heart beat, although she had a feeling she wasn't doing so well.

"You should be afraid of me," Envy said, grabbing her shoulder suddenly and slamming her into one of the bookcases. She growled as the shelf shook and a thick book fell off and hit her heard on the head, disorienting her completely. This seemed to amuse Envy, as his smile grew wider, showing more sharp teeth. She tried to shove away from him, but his pale arms were obviously a lot stronger than they looked. His fingers dug into the tender skin between her shoulder and arm, and she tried not to flinch.

"Say it," he said.

"Say what?" she asked, not looking away from his eyes. They really were an interesting color; the color of _her _eyes, albeit slightly darker and strangely more vicious.

"Say that you're scared of me," Envy said. She rolled her eyes without thinking.

"_Why_?" she complained, and gasped as one of the homunculus' fingers broke through her skin. "Stop doing that!"

"What?" Envy purred, moving the finger slightly. Sharp pain crawled through her arm, and she shuddered.

"Stop _hurting _me," she said. "And then I'll say it."

Envy looked bemused. "Alright," he said, drawing out the finger with a slight squelching sound that Aelia did her best to ignore. "Now say it."

She shook her head, well aware that if she played her cards wrong Envy might get angry, and then she'd be dead. "I'll say it," she said carefully, "if you'll promise to quit intentionally injuring me. I can't heal myself, in case you haven't noticed."

Envy frowned slightly. "That's boring," he said, arms pressing against her shoulders enough to hurt, barely. A grin flitted across his features and his eyes seemed to glow. "Alright, Aelia Alwyn," he said. "I promise not to hurt you _physically _anymore. _Now say it_."

"I'm scared of you!" she spat. Envy smiled delightedly.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" he asked, releasing her arms. She frowned at him in response, stumbling past him to lean against the opposite bookshelf. Breathing raggedly, her fingers automatically probed her bleeding shoulder, coming away red.

"Did you have to stab me?" she asked. Envy shrugged, still grinning.

"I didn't _have _to," he said. "But I did."

She sighed, gritting her teeth. The arm of her sweater now had a splotch of dark red blood covering it, and it was rapidly spreading. Unhappily, she reached for the hem of her sweater and pulled it over her head in one swift motion to better see the wound. She heard a strangled exclamation from Envy but ignored him, frowning at the wound's proximity to her scar. Her biggest weak point was her scar; of course Envy had stabbed her there. What an ass.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" the homunculus was saying, eyes averted.

She sighed again. "Why is everyone bothered by this?" she asked, indicating her bare stomach. "I _am _wearing a bra, you know." She snapped the strap for emphasis.

"Put your clothes back on," Envy ordered.

"I'd love to. Unfortunately, I want to check that I'm not going to bleed to death from the wound you gave me, so I'm not going to." Envy scowled.

"I make one promise and now you seem to think you're my equal or something. You do what I tell you, human girl." Aelia closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Fine," she said shortly, wriggling back into the bloodstained sweater. The scratchy wool was quickly irritating the little hole in her skin, but with Envy glaring daggers at her she'd have to leave it as it was. The homunculus broke his gaze suddenly, bending down until his fingers pressed against the book that had hit Aelia in the head earlier.

"Guess what?" he asked, looking at it. "We're in luck, human." He waved the book triumphantly. "It's that cookbook Pride wanted."

Aelia's eyes narrowed fractionally. _Pride wanted a cookbook? Why? _Envy leafed through it before rolling his eyes and tucking it safely under his arm. "Let's go," he said, not looking at her. He walked quickly through the darkened hall of books, and Aelia followed him. _If that's the book that Pride wanted, Ed must have wanted it too._

_What in Leto's name was Ed going to do with a cookbook?_

* * *

><p>Dante could not have been more pleased.<p>

Lust and Gluttony had brought her a new homunculus. They'd mentioned a second, and something about a man named Busk who had been one of her lovers, apparently. Dante did vaguely remember him. She'd taught him quite a bit more than most of her other lovers, namely because he'd been quite a bit smarter than most of her other lovers. But eventually she'd grown tired of him, as she always did, and had flung him aside. She'd been with him when this body had still been young, which had been years ago, and had experienced swarms of other men since them. It wasn't surprising that she didn't remember him very well.

The new homunculus was forming strangely quickly, to Dante's surprise. Most of the time it took them ages to develop, but this one seemed determined to become a perfect being as fast as it could. She'd had it for little over a day and already it looked almost perfect. It took the form of a girl in her twenties and was therefore a female; Dante would have to remember to refer to it as a _her_. The girl's eyes were framed by long lashes and were closed, and her red lips were moist and sweet, giving her a kind, generous appearance. She was thin but attractively muscled, and had tanned skin and soft cheeks. She wasn't half as promiscuous as Lust but she was certainly beautiful. Dante wasn't sure what her name would be yet; perhaps she'd pick one for herself. Sloth had; her first words had been, "I am Sloth." Maybe things would be the same with this new homunculus.

Dante sat in a chair at the girl's bedside, smiling at the Ouroboros tattoo on the homunculus' left cheek. An unfortunately prominent place for it, but Dante had no control over such matters. She reached into a pouch on her dress with a gnarled hand, feeling a cluster of Red Stones scraping against her palm. There was a strange aura of excitement about her; she had a feeling. Today was it; with these last Stones in the belly of this homunculus, she would awaken. And it was most definitely about time for it, because Rhea and Saia were on the move. They'd headed to Central, and Lust and Gluttony were having a hard time tailing them. This new creature would be able to do the job, freeing Lust and Gluttony for more important tasks.

Dante grasped the homunculus' jaw, wrenching it open. A tiny sigh issued form the girl's mouth, and was quickly stamped out as Dante shoved her handful of Red Stone's in the girl's mouth, clamping it shut. The girl seemed to swallow on instinct, and Dante took a step back, wondering what this new homunculus would be able to do. Would she be able to extend her fingernails? Eat whatever she wanted? Shape shift? As a homunculus, the possibilities were practically limitless.

The old woman watched with bated breath as the homunculus moaned once, beautiful brow creasing. Her peaceful expression shifted into a frown, and suddenly she gasped, chest heaving. Dante watched, amused, as the girl turned on her side and began to pant, clutching at the blankets desperately. She gritted her white teeth and snarled once, a low sound that made the hairs on the nape of Dante's wrinkled neck stand on end. And then her soft, full, lovely blue eyes flickered open.

She looked to Dante immediately, and wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Well, you're not very beautiful, are you?" she asked, scooting away from Dante instinctively. "That's disappointing. I thought for sure you'd be beautiful."

"It's this body," Dante exclaimed, frowning at the new homunculus. _What a brat. _"I'll be getting a better one soon," she assured, putting her hands out. "I am Dante, your master."

The girl rolled her eyes. "Good luck finding a body as pretty as mine, _master_," she said, sitting cross-legged on the bed. "You won't be able to."

"I'm sure," Dante said, gritting her teeth. "Now why don't you stop talking like that, dear? You're making me want to hurt you."

The homunculus cocked her head. "Hurt me?" she asked, sounding amazed. "Why would anyone want to hurt me?" Her face was the picture of a lovely childlike innocence.

"You're not human," Dante said simply. "You are a homunculus."

"Oh," the girl said. "A homunculus." She smiled suddenly. "If all humans look like you, I'm glad I'm not human!"

Dante narrowed her eyes, and lunged forward, pinching the girl's Ouroboros tattoo painfully between wrinkled fingers. "If you speak to me again in such a manner I'll kill you, darling," she said, letting a flash of alchemy flow through the girl's cheek; not enough to ruin her completely but enough to show her who the boss was in this particular situation.

The girl whimpered, but to Dante's surprise, she didn't pull away. She grabbed Dante's arm in one hand, and Dante frowned at a strange feeling; she looked down and her eyes widened as she noticed the flesh of her forearm slowly being pulled into the flesh of the girl's, merging them together. The girl pressed deeper with her arm, and their shoulders slowly began to sink into each other. Dante knew instantly who would lose if the girl was to be allowed to continue absorbing her.

Another flash of painful energy ran into the girl's cheek and she shrieked, pulling away from Dante. With a strangely painful ripping feeling, the girl pulled her skin from Dante's, and collapsed on the bed, shuddering and whimpering. Dante rubbed her forearm thoughtfully; if the girl could absorb the bodies of humans into herself, she could be very useful indeed.

As for a name… Dante smiled. The girl was no Wrath; that much was clear. And that left no other sins for her… Well, that wasn't strictly true. There were always the old sins, the ones that had been long since forgotten but had used to be just as deadly as the Seven. And one of these sins fit the girl on the bed perfectly.

"Your name is Vainglory, my dear," she told the girl firmly. "And if you ever do that to me again you'll die."

The girl peered up at Dante with on blue eye, and a tentative smile tugged on her lips. "Vainglory," she said, letting the word flow over her tongue. "I like it."

"I thought you would," Dante said. _You little brat. _

"So… why'd you save me?" Vainglory asked, curling a golden lock of hair around her finger.

"You will serve me," Dante told her. "And in return… I'll help you become human."

Vainglory pouted. "No," she said. "I don't want to be human." Dante's smile grew pointed.

"Then you can serve me forever as a homunculus, dear," she said. "As repayment for bringing you out of your endless sleep."

Vainglory shrugged. "Okay," she said. "I don't care, anyway."

"Good," Dante said, standing up and heading out of the room. "I'll leave you for now, Vainglory; I'm sure you need some time to take everything in. But don't get too comfortable.

"I'll be needing you soon enough."


End file.
